HM Treasury

Taxation: USA

Stephen Hammond: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential additional administrative and financial burdens placed on UK financial services of complying with the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of what additional compliance requirements the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act will place on UK-based companies over and above the requirements of the UK system with which they are already compliant.

Stephen Hammond: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made on the potential effect of complying with the requirements of the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act additional to those already placed on them through the UK compliance system on UK-based (a) non-life insurers, (b) brokers and intermediaries and (c) consumers.

Mel Stride: An assessment of the administrative and financial impact on UK industry of the implementation of the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) in the UK, including compliance costs, was published alongside The International Tax Compliance (United States of America) Regulations 2013 which gave effect to FATCA.

Revenue and Customs: Environment Protection

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 46 of the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17, what account was taken by HMRC of its Greening Government commitments in decisions which led to increased commuting times for its staff.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) performance against the Greening Government Commitments to reduce impact on the environment relates to business travel and does not extend to staff commuting. HMRC recognises that its Locations Programme will lead to increased commuting times for some of its staff. All its regional centres will be easily accessible by public transport, which is not always currently the case, and co-location in a single large building will mean that staff can work collaboratively, minimising business travel.

Revenue and Customs: Yorkshire and the Humber

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of having the HM Revenue and Customs regional hub for Yorkshire in (a) Leeds and (b) Bradford.

Mel Stride: I refer the honourable gentlemen to my written answer on 11 July 2017 (UIN 2583) which outlines the eight location principles which HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) used to select its regional centres.HMRC assessed both Leeds and Bradford with regards to these location principles, and chose Leeds as the location for the regional hub because it satisfied the principles more comprehensively overall.

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Jo Churchill: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of staff at HM Revenue and Customs are employed on a sub-contractual basis.

Mel Stride: As of June 2017, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) had a headcount of 67,421 paid staff and employed a further 497 contractors. The contractors therefore represent 0.74% of the combined headcount. These figures do not include contractors working for Revenue and Customs Digital Technology Services, or external service suppliers who provide IT or other services to HMRC.

National Insurance Contributions: Self-employed

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government plans to introduce legislative proposals for the abolition of Class 2s NICS as announced in the 2016 Budget.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to proceed with the increase in the cost of making voluntary national insurance payments for the self-employed.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the increase in the cost of making voluntary national insurance payments for the self-employed on (a) low paid self-employed workers and (b) workers with variable incomes.

Mel Stride: The Government has previously consulted extensively on the impacts of abolishing Class 2 NICs and responded to this consultation at Autumn Statement. This response is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-abolishing-class-2-national-insurance-and-introducing-a-contributory-benefit-test-to-class-4-national-insurance-for-the-self-employed. The Government published a tax information and impact note on this policy at Autumn Statement 2016.

Corporation Tax

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2017 to Question 957, what the evidential basis is for the increase in corporation tax receipts referred to being directly attributable to reductions in the rate of corporation tax.

Mel Stride: The OECD has found that cutting corporation taxes can increase GDP, and this is backed up by Government modelling in 2016 which estimated that cuts announced since 2010 could increase GDP by up to 1.3% in the long run. The increased profits, wages, employment and consumption that come with higher growth all feed through into higher tax revenues.

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what methods his Department has adopted to monitor and encourage compliance with the best practice set out in his Department's Green Book.

Elizabeth Truss: Proposals to use public resources are required to be put forward in a Business Case which must be prepared in accordance with the Green Book. Green Book analysis is therefore the foundation of the scrutiny and approval process.

Public Expenditure

Jim McMahon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, from which part of the Government's budget the £1.5 billion package of funding attributed to the supply and confidence deal with the Democratic Unionist Party came; and whether the funding for that deal had any implications for other spending commitments.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government routinely makes adjustments to public spending throughout the year and will deal with the cost of additional resources for the Northern Ireland Executive within our overall plans in this way.

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he intends to publish updates to the Treasury Green Book.

Elizabeth Truss: The Treasury intends to publish a refreshed edition of the Green Book later this year.

Unemployment

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many economically inactive people there were in the UK in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d), 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015, (g) 2016 and (h) 2017.

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the level of people currently defined as economically inactive.

Stephen Barclay: Working age inactivity is estimated by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest statistics can be found here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/august2017

Apprentices: Taxation

Jonathan Edwards: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been collected from Welsh police forces through the apprenticeship levy; and how much of that has been passed on to the Welsh Government.

Elizabeth Truss: The Apprenticeship Levy was introduced on a UK wide basis from 6 April 2017. Employers are charged at 0.5% of their pay bill over £3 million. Information on how much Apprenticeship Levy individual employers pay, such as Welsh police forces, cannot be made publicly available because of tax payer confidentiality. Skills policy is devolved and the devolved administrations will receive a population share of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2016 forecast of revenue from the levy. In 2017-18, the Welsh Government will receive £128 million.

Apprentices: Taxation

Jonathan Edwards: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much from the apprenticeship levy has been given to the Welsh Government since the levy came into force.

Elizabeth Truss: The apprenticeship levy was introduced from 6 April 2017 and is payable by all employers operating in the UK with an annual pay bill over £3 million. Skills policy is devolved and the devolved administrations will receive a population share of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2016 forecast of revenue from the levy. In 2017-18, the Welsh Government will receive £128 million.

Treasury: Staff

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants were based in his Department in each year from 2010 to 2017.

Andrew Jones: The number of civil servants for each of the years requested can be found in the annual report and accounts which can be accessed via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-annual-report

Treasury: Public Expenditure

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times retrospective permission for spending has been (a) requested and (b) granted by his Department in each year since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: In the vast majority of cases the necessary approvals are sought in advance. Though retrospective approvals do sometimes occur, a central record is not kept of the numbers. It would therefore require disproportionate resources to fully gather the required information‎.

Atomic Weapons Research Establishment: Conditions of Employment

Richard Benyon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons employees of the management company running the Atomic Weapons Establishment are considered private sector employees for the purpose of pensions but public sector employees for the purpose of the exit payment cap.

Elizabeth Truss: The exit payment cap will apply to organisations classified as within the public sector by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) with limited exceptions. As AWE [Atomic Weapons Establishment] Management Ltd is classified by the ONS as a public sector organisation it is within scope of the reforms.

Child Tax Credit

David Linden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many child tax credit claimants in (a) Glasgow city, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK are having deductions made from child tax credit payments to service existing debts to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Elizabeth Truss: There is no tax credit legislation allowing debt from the Department for Work and Pensions to be recovered from Child Tax Credit payments.

Treasury: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications his Department has received for (a) internal loans and (b) secondments from civil servants in each year since 2010.

Andrew Jones: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Treasury: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the principle set out in paragraph 5.3.6 of the Government's Cyber Security Strategy that everyone who works in government has a sound awareness of cyber risk applies to members of staff employed by contractors doing work procured by his Department.

Andrew Jones: Where appropriate, staff employed by the department's contractors will be subject to cyber risk management requirements as part of the contract documentation.

Treasury: Assets

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, in which of the last 10 years his Department has submitted a strategic asset management plan to the Government Property Unit.

Andrew Jones: HM Treasury has submitted a Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) for every year since their introduction in 2015

Treasury: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of consultancy assignments procured by his Department are paid at a daily rate.

Andrew Jones: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Private Finance Initiative

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in HMT Project 216, PFI Eastbrook.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in his Department's Project 392, STEPS - Mapeley PLC.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in HMT Project 234, Estates Transformation.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in his Department's Project 394, Exchequer Partnership (No. 2).

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in HMT Project 268, British Transport Police.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in HMT Project 279, HSL Buxton PFI.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in his Department's Project 409, Home Office Central London Accommodation.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in his Department's Project 429, Corsham.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in HMT Project 216, New Merseyside Centre.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in his Department's Project 444, Ministry of Defence Building Refurbishment.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in his Department's Project 473, National Probate Records Centre.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in HMT Project 282, PRIME.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in his Department's Project 512, Invest NI HQ Accommodation Project.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in HMT Project 384, Berlin Embassy.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in HMT Project 386, GCHQ new accommodation.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in HMT Project 387, Newcastle Estate Development.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in HMT Project 388, Bootle PFI.

Andrew Jones: The information requested is not held by HM Treasury, which is not a party to these contracts.

Treasury: Contracts

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the costs are of any break clauses in his Department's Project 395, GOGGS West.

Andrew Jones: The contract includes voluntary termination provisions. Calculating this cost at any point in time would require an assessment of market rates for both debt and equity, an estimate of future equity cashflows and subcontractor termination costs. HM Treasury do not calculate this figure on an ongoing basis and to do so now would incur disproportionate cost.

Children: Day Care

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the performance indicators are which he has agreed with National Savings and Investments for the delivery of tax-free childcare.

Elizabeth Truss: The performance indicators agreed with National Savings and Investments for the delivery of Tax-Free childcare cover a range of areas including customer experience, payment processing, and sign-up.

Children: Day Care

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many parents have successfully signed up for (a) 30-hours free childcare, (b) tax-free childcare and (c) both 30-hours free childcare and tax-free childcare.

Elizabeth Truss: As of 6 September 2017, 115,198 parents had successfully applied through the childcare service for 30 hours free childcare; over 25,404 parents had successfully applied for tax-free childcare; and 100,113 parents had successfully applied for both 30 hours free childcare and Tax-Free Childcare. As Minister of State at the Department for Education, Robert Goodwill, told the House on 6 September 2017, as of 31 August 216,384 eligibility codes had been issued for 3 year olds that were valid for the September term.

Welfare Tax Credits

Ian Lavery: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been spent from the public purse in compensation to recipients of tax credits for errors caused by HM Revenue and Customs in the last seven years in (a) the UK and (b) Wansbeck constituency.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will consider offering redress payments for a variety of reasons, including: poor complaint handling, costs incurred, worry and distress and actual financial loss. Redress payments made under HMRC’s complaints policy are ex-gratia and they are not intended in any way to equate to compensation or damages awarded by the courts. HMRC are unable to break down the data to show redress payments made specifically in relation to error.

Welfare Tax Credits

Ian Lavery: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been lost from the public purse as a result of HM Revenue and Customs errors in respect of tax credits in (a) the UK and (b) Wansbeck constituency in the last seven years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Child and Working Tax Credits Annual Error & Fraud statistics measure the value of error and fraud at the end of the tax credits year. They do not include any errors that are corrected before the end of the year. The statistics are published every June.An estimated £80 million has been paid out in tax credits payments as a result of HMRC errors favouring the claimant between 2010/11 and 2015-16. Figures for 2016/17 are not available yet.Figures for Wansbeck constituency are not available as error statistics are estimated based on a sampling exercise for the UK. There is not the level of detail available to break this down by constituency. The figure above has been calculated using the figure in table 5 from the previous six publications. The latest error & fraud statistics are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-and-working-tax-credits-annual-error-and-fraud-statistics-2015-to-2016

Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Act 2010

Layla Moran: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what post-legislative scrutiny his Department has carried out on the effectiveness of the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Act 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: In 2011, HM Treasury consulted on the impact of the Debt Relief Act 2010 with representatives from key stakeholders, such as the financial services sector, Heavily Indebted Poor Countries and civil society. This evidence suggested the Act had benefitted Heavily Indebted Poor Countries and there was no evidence of unintended consequences. The previous government therefore made the Act permanent.By continuing to prohibit costly and unfair legal action against Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, the legislation continues to play a valuable role. According to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, litigation by creditors against Heavily Indebted Poor Countries remains an ongoing issue in other jurisdictions without such protections.

European Investment Bank

Hilary Benn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many new projects in the UK have been (a) signed-off and (b) financed by the European Investment Bank in each of the last 12 months.

Stephen Barclay: This information is all publicly available on the European Investment Bank (EIB) website. The EIB publishes details of all projects including dates of approval and signature and total signed amounts. Information on UK projects can be found in the link below. http://www.eib.org/projects/loan/list/?region=1&country=GB

Terrorism

Neil Coyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to update the 1993 Reinsurance Act and the process of certifying terror attacks.

Stephen Barclay: If there have been insurance claims made on Pool Re after a terror attack, Pool Re must notify the Treasury. Following this notification, the Treasury has 21 working days to certify if the event constituted an act of terrorism under the 1993 Reinsurance Act. The Treasury has followed this process and responded within the 21 day period in certifying 3 terrorist attacks in 2017. The Treasury follows an established legal process to do this, recognising the urgency of responding to requests and treating this as a matter of priority. We remain in discussion with the insurance industry, Pool Re and other interested parties to make sure that the 1993 Reinsurance Act continues to enable appropriate terrorism cover to be available for businesses in the UK.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the post-implementation review of PAYE Real Time Information.

Mel Stride: HMRC expects to publish the post-implementation review of real time information later this year.

Treasury: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many procurements undertaken by his Department have taken more than (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) one year and (d) two years.

Andrew Jones: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has paid from the public purse in compensation for errors relating to (a) tax-free and (b) 30 hours of free childcare; and what estimate he has made of how much will be paid out in total for such errors.

Elizabeth Truss: As of 31st August HMRC has paid £3,335.20 in compensation to customers.

Historic Buildings: Repairs and Maintenance

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Heritage Maintenance Funds; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: The Government recognises the cultural and economic contribution historic homes make right across the UK. Heritage Maintenance Funds play an important role in keeping historic homes in the best possible condition and making them accessible for the general public. That is why assets placed in Heritage Maintenance Funds continue to receive a complete exemption from inheritance tax. The Treasury regularly monitors all reliefs and exemptions, including Heritage Maintenance Funds, to ensure they continue to be appropriate and affordable.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many potentially eligible parents were unable to access their eligibility codes for their 30 hours of free childcare due to technical issues with the site administered by HM Revenue and Customs.

Elizabeth Truss: Parents who reported technical issues during the application process were provided with a 30 hours code manually. Those parents who are eligible, and applied before 31 August will be given a code that will allow them to access 30 hours free childcare for the September term.

Treasury: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has received from sub-lets on its estate in each year since 2010.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has paid in letting fees for its estate in each year since 2010.

Andrew Jones: The income that HM Treasury’s core department has received from sub-letting on its estate between financial years 2010/11 and 2016/17 is as follows: 10/1111/1212/1313/1414/1515/1616/17£0.6m£2.8m£10.8m£13.1m£14.0m£14.0m£15.2m HM Treasury’s core department did not incur letting fees payable to agents in the course of sub-letting its estate over the relevant period.

Tourism: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress the Government has made on its consultation report on the effect of VAT on tourism in Northern Ireland.

Mel Stride: The government has agreed to commission a detailed consultative report on the impact of VAT and APD on tourism in Northern Ireland to recommend how best to build upon the growing success of that sector. Further details on the report will be announced in due course.

Help to Buy Scheme

Royston Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost has been to the public purse of the Help to Buy ISA policy since the introduction of that scheme.

Royston Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost has been to the public purse of the Help to Buy policy since the introduction of that scheme.

Stephen Barclay: The Treasury is responsible for the Help to Buy: ISA and mortgage guarantee schemes; the Department for Communities and Local Government have responsibility for the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme.Both Department’s routinely publishes information on the take-up and the total value of support provided through the Help to Buy schemes.From the introduction of the Help to Buy: ISA on 1 December 2015 to 31 March 2017, the total value of bonuses paid was £54m. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/official-statistics-on-the-help-to-buy-isa-schemeBetween the launch of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme on 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2017, the total value of equity loans provided through scheme was £5.86bn. Further information is available at: https://help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-and-help-to-buy-newbuy-statistics-april-2013-to-march-2017The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme was designed to be self-financing through the commercial fee that lenders paid for the provision of the Government guarantee. The fee was set to cover the administration cost, the cost of capital of providing the guarantee and expected losses from loans guaranteed under the scheme. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/621112/H2B_MGS_Official_Statistics_Publication_June_17.pdf

European Union: Assets

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the (a) proportion and (b) total amount of EU assets that the UK will be entitled to on the day that the UK leaves the EU.

Elizabeth Truss: The arrangements for withdrawal from the EU, including financial matters, will be a matter for the withdrawal agreement as part of the Article 50 process.

Public Sector: Pay

Alex Norris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2017 to Question 3921, by what process he plans to assess the balance of pay referred to in that Answer for pay awards for public sector workers who are not covered by a pay review body.

Elizabeth Truss: The annual pay awards for public sector workforces not covered by a pay review body will be determined in the usual way.

Stamp Duties

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of stamp duty levels on the housing market; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: The property market is affected by a wide variety of factors. The Government published an assessment of the 2014 changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax in 2015. It showed that in the year after the reforms, the number of residential property transactions above £1m was the same as the year beforehand. The analysis can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preliminary-assessment-of-2014-residential-sdlt-slice-reforms Recent statistics show that residential transactions greater than £2m are 9% lower in Q2 2017 than Q2 2014, while transactions between £1 and £2 million are 19% higher.

National Insurance Contributions

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of abolishing the Class 2 National Insurance category on the living standards of people earning under £6,000 a year.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in (a) Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK earn under £6,000 a year and make voluntary national insurance contributions through Class 2.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of granting people earning less than £6,000 a year the same pension rights that come with Class 4 contributions after the abolition of the Class 2 bracket.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of retaining the Class 2 category of national insurance contributions.

Mel Stride: The Government has previously consulted extensively on the impacts of abolishing Class 2 NICs and responded to this consultation at Autumn Statement. This response is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-abolishing-class-2-national-insurance-and-introducing-a-contributory-benefit-test-to-class-4-national-insurance-for-the-self-employed. The Government published a tax information and impact note on this policy at Autumn Statement 2016. The figures requested are not available.

Taxation: Electronic Government

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what date the free software promised by HM Revenue and Customs for smaller companies to comply with Making Tax Digital will be made available.

Mel Stride: HMRC is working very closely with the software industry to ensure a range of suitable products at a wide variety of price points is made available. Free software will be available for those businesses with the most straightforward affairs who voluntarily choose to use Making Tax Digital to meet their Income Tax obligations as part of the pilot phase.

Cultural Heritage: Capital Taxes

Chris Bryant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of inheritance tax and capital gains tax exemptions for heritage assets.

Chris Bryant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff of HM Revenue and Customs are employed in monitoring whether undertakings in respect of public access to heritage assets that have been exempted from inheritance tax and capital gains tax are adhered to.

Chris Bryant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many exemptions from inheritance tax and capital gains tax have been withdrawn as a result of a failure to meet undertakings to (a) look after the item, (b) make the item available to the public and (c) keep the item in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Mel Stride: The estimated cost of the inheritance tax exemption for heritage assets can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs The cost of the capital gains tax exemption for heritage assets is not available. The legislation was introduced to protect national heritage assets. Where there has been a failure to meet the undertakings, HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) approach is to work with owners in order to put things right. It has not in the last 10 years been necessary for HMRC to remove an exemption. The table below sets out the number of exemptions (by claim) granted in each year for the categories listed within the legislation over the last ten years:  Pre-eminent objects s.31(1)(a)IHTA and (aa)Land s.31(1)(b)IHTABuildings & amenity land s.31(1)(c) and (d) IHTAHistorically associated objects s.31(1)(e)IHTA2007/08123012008/0990212009/10101222010/1191202011/1272012012/1382002013/1482222014/1560222015/16142102016/1716020 Sixteen people within HMRC are involved in ensuring undertakings are adhered to.

Public Sector: Pay

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will remove the pay cap for public sector workers and ensure that the Barnett formula for the devolved institutions is reflected in that decision.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government’s pay policy has always been designed to strike the right balance between being fair to our public servants and being fair to all those, including public sector workers themselves, whose taxes pay for them. That approach has not changed. We continually assess that careful balance.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Electoral Register

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many voters were wrongly excluded from the electoral list at the 2017 General Election; and in which constituencies those exclusions took place.

Bridget Phillipson: The Electoral Commission does not hold data on the number of voters wrongly excluded from the electoral register at the 2017 UK general election. The electoral register is managed by individual Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) at local authorities. They are legally responsible for determining if an application to register to vote is from an eligible individual.

Department for Work and Pensions

Housing Benefit: Mental Illness

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with a mental illness living in supported housing are in receipt of housing benefit.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not available. Developing a workable and sustainable funding model for supported housing is a priority for the Government. We will set out further details on the Government’s plans in the autumn.

Social Security Benefits: Kingston upon Hull

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure minimal disruption in the regularity in which claimants in Hull will receive income from their benefits prior to the introduction there of universal credit in 2018.

Damian Hinds: There will be no disruption to current benefit claimants where the full Universal Credit service rolls out. The service is for new claims or for those who have a significant change in circumstances.

Department for Work and Pensions: Data Protection

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many breaches of data protection there have been in his Department in each year since 2010; and to which parts of his Department's work those breaches relate.

Caroline Dinenage: DWP publishes details of data protection breaches affecting protected personal information in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, available on www.gov.uk. The number of incidents and the page they appear in the DWP Annual Report for each year since 2010 are listed below. 2010-112 (on page 16 of DWP Accounts)2011-121 (page 33)2012-130 (page 29)2013-142 (page 30)2014-152 (page 81)2015-160 (page 84)2016-170 (page 92)

Pension Service: Cwmbran

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department made of public transport provision for former Cwmbran Pension Centre staff whose posts will be relocated to North Cardiff.

Damian Hinds: DWP conducted some early analysis based on staff home postcodes and pre-existing rail and bus timetables and timings; this was a preliminary exercise when a number of potential sites were under consideration. However, whilst the Department has identified a potential location north of Cardiff for a new strategic hub, it is not yet confirmed. It is therefore too early to determine which existing offices will move to a hub location in the future, or to make further assessment of public transport provision. The site is to be retained as part of the DWP estate for the next 3-5 years.

Pension Service: Cwmbran

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the closure of Cwmbran Pension Centre on local communities.

Damian Hinds: The Cwmbran Pension Centre site is to be retained as part of the DWP estate for the next 3-5 years, and as such no decision has yet been made on the closure of the site. As a large employer, DWP understands the potential impact that a closure or relocation of an office may have. Generally though the economic impact of employment is dispersed beyond the specific location of a workplace – because people spend most of their money where they live. I would also add that as our estate is made up of leased buildings, the landlords may offer premises to new tenants once DWP vacate.

Pension Service: Cwmbran

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consultation was undertaken with staff at Cwmbran Pension Centre before the decision to relocate those staff to North Cardiff.

Damian Hinds: The Cwmbran Pension Centre site is to be retained as part of the DWP estate for the next 3-5 years, and as such no decision has yet been made on the closure of the site or relocation of staff. However it is worth reiterating that in the future and should the decision be made to relocate jobs, there will be a period of staff consultation where they will be invited to discuss their individual circumstances.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefits appeals are received by his Department on the basis of correspondence not having been received.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sanctions have been issued to claimants who have a registered mental health illness in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Statistics are available on the number of individuals in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) with a primary disabling condition in the category Mental or Behavioural Disorder who received an adverse sanction decision and these are published on Stat-Xplore here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to extract the relevant information can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Universal Credit: Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to inform current benefit claimants in Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency that they are entitled to an advance payment to switching to universal credit.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether frontline staff of his Department are required to inform new universal credit claimants of the availability of advance payments of that credit during their waiting period to receive payments of that credit.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of advice given by (a) work coaches and (b) universal credit journals on claiming the advance payment of universal credit.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the levels of uptake of advance payment of universal credit in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Aberavon constituency.

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants received advance payments in each month from January 2017.

Damian Hinds: Any need for an advance payment or other financial or budgeting support should be established at the outset of a claim for Universal Credit. This includes existing benefit claimants who move to Universal Credit through a change of circumstances. In the initial new claim interview, work coaches are trained to offer personal budgeting support and assess whether claimants need help to manage until their first Universal Credit payment. If so they are advised to apply for an advance. Furthermore, additional work has been done by the Department to raise awareness of advances nationally, including providing options on the UC Helpline, and signposting through the new “Universal Credit & you” guide for claimants and on the new online Money Manager tool offered by the Money Advice Service. We will shortly be publishing data on advances.

Universal Credit: Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of claimants in Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency who will wait more than six weeks to receive any payment from universal credit following its introduction there in 2018.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of claimants in Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency who will wait more than 11 weeks to receive any payment from universal credit following its introduction there in 2018.

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants had to wait more than 6 weeks before receiving their first payment since universal credit was introduced.

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants on full service universal credit have not been paid in full within six weeks in each of the last two years.

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of universal credit applicants wait more than (a) six and (b) 10 weeks after making their claim before they receive any income in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK.

Damian Hinds: We are intending to publish further data on payment timeliness in due course, but our latest internal data nationally, suggests around 80% of cases are paid in full at the end of the first assessment period. For the remaining cases we estimate around a third have not signed up to their claimant commitment so cannot be paid until they have. The other two thirds have an outstanding verification issue, such as providing bank statements, evidence of childcare costs, or proof of rent. Many of these claimants receive a part-payment where elements of the claim have been verified.

Universal Credit: Kingston upon Hull

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Hull who will claim universal credit when it is introduced there in 2018.

Damian Hinds: The Department has not made such an estimate.

Members: Correspondence

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to the letter of 7 July 2017 from the hon. Member for Glasgow East on the proposed closure of Easterhouse and Parkhead Jobcentres.

Damian Hinds: I replied to the hon. Member’s invitation on 7th September 2017.

Universal Credit: Benefits Rules

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons there is a seven-day waiting period for universal credit; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that waiting period on a claimant's wellbeing.

Damian Hinds: The fundamental principle behind waiting days is that benefits are not designed to provide cover for brief spells of unemployment or sickness. To ensure we provide a vital safety net for vulnerable people, a number of groups are exempt from waiting days and any need for financial or budgeting support will be established at the outset of the claim.

Jobcentres: Staff

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is that a jobcentre work coach has available to spend with each claimant at each appointment.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions has identified the average length of time that every intervention type is expected to take. This can be between 5 minutes and 120 minutes depending on the circumstances of the individual and which benefit(s) they are claiming. The Work Coach will undertake a variety of interventions throughout the course of the working day, but please note that some of their time is spent on activities that are not directly related to their role, such as staff meetings, computer activity and other administrative tasks.

Universal Credit

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit starts since 1 April 2017 were by recipients of employment and support allowance.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit starts since 1 April 2017 were by individuals with an outstanding employment and support appeal.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Disability: Students

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the introduction of universal credit on the take-up of higher education for full-time disabled students.

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much additional funding was allocated for loans to compensate full-time disabled students for the loss of access to employment and support allowance since the introduction of universal credit.

Damian Hinds: Most full time students in higher education do not qualify for Universal Credit. Students, including disabled students and those with health conditions, access fees and living costs support for their higher education courses through various loans and grants funded by the Department for Education. However, Universal Credit is designed so that a person already in receipt of Universal Credit because of disability or ill health is not discouraged from taking up higher education that may help them in the future.

Children: Poverty

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Government will make an assessment of the findings of the London School of Economics Centre for the Analysis of Social Exclusion report, Does Money Affect Children's Outcome: An Update, published in July 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: Making a meaningful difference to the lives of disadvantaged children requires an approach that goes beyond the safety net of the welfare state to tackle the root causes of child poverty and disadvantage. Work is key to alleviating poverty; children in workless households are five times more likely to be in poverty than those in households where all adults were working. And new analysis carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions shows that children living in workless families are significantly more disadvantaged, and achieve poorer outcomes than other children including those in lower-income working families. This Government’s policies to support and encourage work mean that there are 608,000 fewer children in workless households compared with 2010. Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published on 4 April, set out a framework for a continued focus on improving children’s outcomes, now and in the future.

Social Mobility: Labour Market

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 71 of the Social Mobility Commission's report, Time for Change: an assessment of government policies on social mobility 1997-2017, published on 28 June 2017, what assessment he has made of the effect of welfare reforms and policies encouraging labour market flexibility on (a) rates of labour force participation, (b) job quality, (c) productivity and (d) worker progression.

Damian Hinds: The Department has made no formal assessment of Labour Market Impacts in direct relation to the Social Mobility Report. We do publish Impact assessments of welfare policies which include an assessment of their labour market impact. These can be found on the link below. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=&publication_filter_option=impact-assessments&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=department-for-work-pensions&official_document_status=all&world_locations%5B%5D=all&from_date=&to_date=

Universal Credit: Payments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of applications for short-term benefit advance were successful in the most recent 12 months for which data is available; and what reasons were given to those people who made such unsuccessful applications in that period.

Damian Hinds: The information requested for Short Term Benefit Advance (STBA) applications is shown in the following table. October 2015 - September 2016STBA Referred for Decision101,600STBA Awarded98,826% STBA Awarded against those referred for Decision97.3% The Department does not hold data on reasons for unsuccessful applications. Notes:Data has been provided for October 15 – September 16 which is the latest data available. Data after this date is not currently available.Only Working Age Benefits (i.e. ESA, IB, JSA and IS) are included in the above information for STBA applications as the number of applications received for State Pension Credit and Carers Allowance is not available. Source:STBA Referred for Decision - Management Information System Programme (MISP). This collation is based on clerical counts submitted by the each Centre and is Internal MI which has been agreed for use in publications of Parliamentary questions and Freedom of Information requests.STBA Awarded - Benefit Expenditure Business Information system

Social Security Benefits and Welfare Tax Credits: Appeals

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appeals have taken place for each type of benefit and tax credit; and how many of those appeals overturned the original decision in each of the last 24 months.

Damian Hinds: The Department does not hold validated information on the outcome of appeals as this data is held by the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice publish quarterly data on the volume of appeals cleared at hearing and the outcome of those appeals, this has been included in Appendix 1.



Appendix 1
(Excel SpreadSheet, 51.23 KB)

Universal Credit: Payments

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help universal credit claimants avoid getting into debt.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a comprehensive support package or strategy for those negatively affected by the roll-out of universal credit.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department provides for universal credit claimants for (a) budgeting, (b) managing a claim online and (c) complex claims.

Damian Hinds: By design, Universal Credit is a much simpler system than that it replaces. It is easier for claimants to understand their entitlements and easier to administer. Nonetheless, we recognise that it represents a significant change for claimants, and some will find it challenging. That is why Universal Credit has an unprecedented level of personalised support for each claimant and there are a number of safeguards to support them, especially at the start of the claim. For example advances are available to help people manage until their first payment, this can amount to 50% of their indicative award and is payable straight away. Furthermore, ‘Universal Support’ is being rolled out alongside Universal Credit and is being delivered via a framework approach to allow third sector organisations and Local Authorities to work with jobcentres to deliver the support needed in their local community. The aim is for claimants to receive integrated tailored support journeys and partners can achieve this through best use of local resources. Part of this offer is budgeting support to help claimants manage their money on a monthly basis, pay bills on time and take responsibility for housing costs. Advice is offered by external organisations with the relevant expertise, online, by phone or face-to-face. Where claimants need help making a claim online, ‘assisted digital’ support is available as part of the package, alongside telephone and face to face support. And for claimants who cannot manage their money on a monthly basis alternative payment arrangements are available. These can include payment of rent direct to a landlord, paying Universal Credit more frequently or splitting the payment between members of the household. When debt problems are identified then the claimant can be referred on or signposted to other more specialised debt support services

Jobcentres: Bridgend and Porthcawl

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is an older claimant champion employed at (a) Bridgend and (b) Porthcawl Jobcentre; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: Our network of older claimant champions has been extended so that there is now an older claimant champion to provide best practice and support to work coaches in each of our 34 Jobcentre Plus Districts. Bridgend and Porthcawl Jobcentres are both supported by the older claimant champion for our South West Wales District.

Universal Credit: Payments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications have been made for alternative payment arrangements under universal credit; and what the outcomes were of those applications.

Damian Hinds: We published an ad hoc publication on Alternative Payment Arrangements in July 2016 which is available at the following link. We intend to publish further information in this area shortly. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-statistics-on-alternative-payment-arrangements

Universal Credit: Benefits Rules

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's policy on the requirement for a current tenancy agreement to be dated within the previous three months on the ability of claimants to successfully claim their full universal credit entitlement.

Damian Hinds: There is flexibility in the proof of rent requirements under Universal Credit and a formal, up-to-date tenancy agreement is not necessarily required. Other forms of evidence such as a letter from the landlord may suffice. We can consider any evidence based on its merits and will support claimants in providing the necessary documents. Where the claimant is unable to provide proof of rent, the DWP can, by exception and with agreement from the claimant, request documentation from private landlords directly.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) total cost incurred by claimants and (b) average cost incurred by each claimant has been of calls to the universal credit helpline in each of the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold this information.

Social Security Benefits: Electronic Government

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on enabling new benefit claimants to submit their supporting documents electronically via a secure online portal.

Damian Hinds: The Universal Credit Programme has already implemented mechanisms for uploading documents electronically to the Full Service online system, such as CVs. Work is ongoing to allow other documents to be uploaded, whilst ensuring that the security and data protection responsibilities are adhered to. We are building improvements to the UC system all the time, in an agile way, safely and securely, to minimise any disruption to claimants. We expect enhancements to the upload facility to be available in 2017.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants have taken up the option of signing on by post in each of the last three years; and under what circumstances that option has been exercised by those claimants.

Damian Hinds: The number of benefit claimants who have taken up the option of signing on by post is in the table.  Calendar YearNumber of Postal Signers20156,65720164,66220172,516 Notes:Source of Information: Department for Work and Pensions Labour Market System (LMS).Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to national Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards. The data should therefore be treated with caution.The information for 2017 is only available up to August.Information is not available prior to 2015. The circumstances in which a claimant is eligible to sign on by post are listed below: The claimant has caring responsibilities and is unable to make arrangements for short-term care to cover their attendance. For example, for a child during school holidays.The claimant lives more than one hour, door to door, in either direction, from the nearest Jobcentre by using public transport.Attendance to sign on would result in an absence from home in excess of four hours.The claimant has a mental or physical disability, which restricts their mobility. If no public transport is available, eligibility for postal signing is determined by whether or not the claimant can reasonably be expected to walk from home to the Jobcentre in one hour. A claimant must not be asked to walk more than 3 miles. This will depend on: AgeHealthThe terrain over which they must walk The information regarding the number of claimants who have signed on by post under each of the eligibility categories is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to make the universal credit helpline free of charge.

Damian Hinds: I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 13 July 17 to question 4900.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his Department's policy to collect information of individuals subject to a benefit sanction who receive assistance from a food bank during the period of sanction; and if he will publish that information.

Damian Hinds: The information is not available.

Children: Maintenance

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total amount of child maintenance arrears was in (a) Glasgow East constituency and (b) Scotland in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Dinenage: Child Support Agency a) As at July 2017 the total value of arrears on Child Support Agency cases in the Glasgow East constituency stood at £5.50m. b) As at July 2017 the total value of arrears on Child Support Agency cases in Scotland stood at £243.22m. Child Maintenance Service Information on the total value of arrears on cases in the Glasgow East, and in Scotland, for the Child Maintenance Service could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Notes: 1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10,000. 2) Cases have been allocated to Glasgow East parliamentary constituency by matching the residential postcode of the parent with care for all cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems, as well as cases managed off system, to the Office for National Statistics Postcode Directory.

Lone Parents: Glasgow East

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) parents with care and (b) non-resident parents there were in Glasgow East constituency with a Child Support Agency case in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Dinenage: a) As at July 2017 there were 1,640 parents with care with a Child Support Agency case in the Glasgow East constituency. b) As at July 2017 there were 1,560 non-resident parents with a Child Support Agency case in the Glasgow East constituency.  Notes: Figures rounded to the nearest 10. Cases have been allocated to Glasgow East parliamentary constituency by matching the residential postcode of the parent with care and non-resident parent for all cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems, as well as cases managed off system, to the Office for National Statistics Postcode Directory. The number of parents with care and non-resident parents is a unique count of individuals within this constituency it is possible for either parent to have more than one Child Support Agency case. It cannot be assumed that parents with care in a) above, and non-resident parents in b) above, are connected to the same case although some may be. A number of the non-resident parents who reside in Glasgow East constituency will be connected to a Child Support Agency case with a parent with care who resides elsewhere in the country. Equally, a number of the parents with care who reside in Glasgow East constituency will be connected to with a non-resident parent who resides elsewhere in the country. A national insurance number was not present in the system at time of this data extract for a very small number of parents with care and non-resident parents, it has therefore not been possible to allocate these to a specific parliamentary constituency.

Children: Maintenance

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency (a) arrears-only and (b) arrears cases involving a current liability for a child there are in Glasgow East constituency.

Caroline Dinenage: a) As at July 2017, there were 1,520 arrears only cases in the Glasgow East constituency held by the Child Support Agency. b) As at July 2017, there were 160 arrears cases involving a current liability in the Glasgow East constituency held by the Child Support Agency. Notes:1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2) Cases have been allocated to a Glasgow East parliamentary constituency by matching the residential postcode of the parent with care for all cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems, as well as cases managed off system, to the Office for National Statistics Postcode Directory. 3) A case is classed as having a ‘Current Liability’ if it is open, has children of a qualifying age and has a positive liability (i.e. assessment to pay maintenance). This includes cases due to pay via Maintenance Direct.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any compulsory redundancies are planned as a result of the closure of Parkhead Jobcentre.

Damian Hinds: At this point in time there are no DWP employees who are currently based at Parkhead Jobcentre who are at risk of redundancy as a result of the planned closure.

Housing Benefit: Glasgow East

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the change in the amount deducted from housing benefit claimants in Glasgow East constituency due to the removal of the spare room subsidy between February 2014 and May 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: As at February 2014, the amount deducted from housing benefit claimants in Glasgow East parliamentary constituency due to the removal of the spare room subsidy was 24.4 thousand pounds per week, rising to 30.4 thousand pounds per week, an increase of 6.1 thousand pounds per week.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been either signposted or referred to a food bank by staff at Easterhouse jobcentre in the last 12 months.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been either signposted or referred to a food bank by staff at Parkhead jobcentre in the last 12 months.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been either signposted or referred to a food bank by staff at Shettleston jobcentre in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: Jobcentre Plus does not make direct referrals to food banks but has offered a signposting service since 2011 to those who have expressed an interest in using a food bank. No data is held on the number using the signposting service at Easterhouse, Parkhead and Shettleston Jobcentres.

Food Banks: Domestic Visits

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which Ministers of his Department have visited a food bank since their appointment; and what the date of each such visit was.

Damian Hinds: The following Ministers have visited a food bank since their appointment. The Rt. Hon. David Gauke MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, visited a food bank on 7 July 2017. Damian Hinds MP, Minister of State for Employment, visited a food bank on 21 July 2017. Guy Opperman MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Pensions and Financial Inclusion visited a food bank on 31 August 2017.

Children: Poverty

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2017 to Question 97, if he will make it his Department's policy to work with relevant bodies to increase the survey sample sizes to support the production of robust estimates of the number of children in relative low income at constituency and local authority level.

Caroline Dinenage: The current FRS sample of 20,000 households a year already makes it one of the largest social surveys in the UK. It is designed to be representative at a country / region level (13 areas), and even at this geography results are often presented as a three-year average. Expanding this to be representative at local authority level would require a huge increase in the sample, which even if practicable, would involve significant additional spending in the order of millions of pounds. The government is trying to help local authorities understand and monitor disadvantage within their area. Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published on 4 April, sets out statutory and non-statutory indicators to provide a framework for a continued focus on improving outcomes for disadvantaged families and children, now and over time. As part of this, we have made available the latest analysis and an evidence base to enable local authorities, local partners and others to understand, and act on, the complex factors of disadvantage in their local area. This includes local-level data on the factors of disadvantage that is available through a local government data tool (LG Inform).

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what criteria Easterhouse Jobcentre has been selected for closure.

Damian Hinds: The increased use of our online services in recent years, coupled with reductions in unemployment and improved efficiency means that 20% of the rent currently paid by DWP is going toward space we are not using. In response, we have sought to redesign our estate in a way that delivers value for the taxpayer. The city of Glasgow has a higher number of jobcentres than comparable cities across the UK and our revised estate balances the need for an accessible network with best use of taxpayers money. The decision to close Easterhouse was not taken in isolation but was as part of our service design for the Glasgow area as a whole. We would stress that this is not about reducing services, it is about taking the opportunity to stop spending money on empty space so we can spend more on supporting those in need. This has given us a unique opportunity to review which offices we will need in the future, taking account of the impact of Universal Credit and the anticipated demand on our services.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are plans for compulsory redundancies as a result of the closure of the Parkhead jobcentre.

Damian Hinds: At this point in time there are no DWP employees who are currently based at Parkhead Jobcentre who are at risk of redundancy as a result of the planned closure.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what criteria Parkhead Jobcentre has been selected for closure.

Damian Hinds: The increased use of our online services in recent years, coupled with reductions in unemployment and improved efficiency means that 20% of the rent currently paid by DWP is going toward space we are not using. In response, we have sought to redesign our estate in a way that delivers value for the taxpayer. The city of Glasgow has a higher number of jobcentres than comparable cities across the UK and our revised estate balances the need for an accessible network with best use of taxpayers money. The decision to close Parkhead was not taken in isolation but was as part of our service design for the Glasgow area as a whole. We would stress that this is not about reducing services, it is about taking the opportunity to stop spending money on empty space so we can spend more on supporting those in need. This has given us a unique opportunity to review which offices we will need in the future, taking account of the impact of Universal Credit and the anticipated demand on our services.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times the public WiFi at Parkhead Jobcentre has been accessed by a different device in the latest period for which data is available.

Caroline Dinenage: The information relating specifically to how many times the public WiFi at Parkhead Jobcentre has been accessed by different devices is not held by DWP or the supplier. However, the latest data for July 2017 shows 975 unique Wi-Fi connections in Parkhead Jobcentre. The Wi-Fi connection at Parkhead Jobcentre is public and as a result the members of the public are able to access the Wi-Fi from inside the office or immediately outside so the number of connections would not relate to only Jobcentre customers using the service.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any of his Department's staff will be offered voluntary redundancies as a result of the decision to close Easterhouse Jobcentre.

Damian Hinds: At this point in time there are no DWP employees who are currently based at Easterhouse Jobcentre who are at risk of redundancy as a result of the planned closure.

Housing Benefit: Veterans

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the under-occupancy charge on ex-service personnel.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many ex-service personnel have been affected by the under-occupancy charge.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not available.

Department for Work and Pensions: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications his Department has received for (a) internal loans and (b) secondments from civil servants in each year since 2010.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department does not hold a central register of staff seconded into the Department, nor internal loans. Individuals seconded from an external organisation in to the Department do not have a Civil Service Contract and are not paid through the Departments payroll. The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Data Protection

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the criteria by which contractors demonstrate compliance with departmental security policies and standards.

Caroline Dinenage: All contractors employed directly by DWP are expected to complete the DWP mandatory security e-learning and abide by the DWP Acceptable Use Policy if using DWP information and equipment. All contractors must undergo Baseline Personnel Security Standard Checks. DWP line managers are responsible for authorising IT access rights, ensuring contractors are aware of the AUP and completing a leavers checklist when the contractor leaves DWP.

Lone Parents: Benefits Rules

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what cost to the public purse has been incurred by his Department (a) challenging and (b) appealing against the High Court ruling that lone parents with children aged under two should be exempt from the benefits cap.

Caroline Dinenage: Legal fees of defending the case in the High Court are £67,690. This figure includes VAT where payable (for example on Counsel’s fees) and disbursements but does not include costs attributable to time spent by Government advisory lawyers, as time spent by such advisory lawyers is not recorded in a manner that allows it to be attributable to individual court cases. DWP has also paid £125,000 (plus VAT) towards the Claimants’ costs. DWP’s legal costs for appealing the case in the Court of Appeal are estimated to be between £25,000 and £40,000 (this includes our best estimate of external Counsel fees). Evaluation of the previous cap level found capped households were 41% more likely to go into work than similar uncapped households and lone parents affected by the cap were 51% more likely to go into work than similar uncapped lone parents. It is a policy that has been shown to work and is saving the tax payer millions of pounds.

Supported Housing: Housing Benefit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review plans to cap housing benefit at the local housing allowance rate for those living in supported housing.

Caroline Dinenage: Developing a workable and sustainable funding model for supported housing is a priority for the Government. We will set out further details on the Government’s plans in the autumn.

Winter Fuel Payments

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to means test recipients of the winter fuel allowance.

Guy Opperman: There will be no change to the universal nature of the Winter Fuel Payment for the length of this Parliament.

Young People: Disadvantaged

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that European Social Fund projects for training young people from disadvantaged groups and communities continue after the UK leaves the EU.

Damian Hinds: The Chancellor’s statement of October 2016 provided considerable clarity and certainty for the European Social Fund programme and confirmed that the Government will guarantee EU funding for projects signed before the UK’s departure from the EU, even when these projects continue after we have left the EU. The full detail of the announcement can be found at the following website link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-philip-hammond-guarantees-eu-funding-beyond-date-uk-leaves-the-eu In the longer term the Government is currently considering the future of all programmes that are currently EU funded. Leaving the EU means we will make our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. During these considerations the Government will explore options for training young people from disadvantaged groups and communities after the UK leaves the EU.

Universal Credit: Surveys

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to undertake a new universal credit satisfaction survey in roll-out areas.

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants on full service universal credit were satisfied with the service received in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what that satisfaction rate was in (a) live and (b) full service areas.

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Minister for Employment's oral contribution of 27 June 2017, Official Report, column 570, on universal credit customers' satisfaction, whether the universal credit claimants referred to were on (a) live and (b) full service; and over what period of time those claimants reported their satisfaction.

Damian Hinds: The DWP claimant satisfaction and experience survey currently only covers Universal Credit Live Service claimants. The available figures cover the financial year 2015/16.We continue to monitor and evaluate the delivery of Universal Credit. To date there have been a number of published reports where claimants responded to surveys. As Universal Credit is rolled out to new areas of the country we will continue to involve claimants in the overall evaluation.

Food Poverty

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to prevent food poverty and the use of foodbanks.

Damian Hinds: We know the most effective route out of poverty is work. That is why we are determined to make work pay and to support people into work whilst protecting the most vulnerable in society. During 2017/18 we will spend £95 billion on children and working age benefits. As a safeguard for people needing more support we also have a well-established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans.

Children: Maintenance

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Child Support Agency applies a de minimis limit for investigating allegations of fraud.

Caroline Dinenage: No minimum threshold is applied for investigating allegations of fraud related to child maintenance by either the Child Support Agency or the Child Maintenance Service, allegations of this kind are considered on a case by case basis.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent from the public purse by his Department on appeals and tribunals for all welfare benefits in the last seven years; and whether that information is available at parliamentary constituency level.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Funeral Payments

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to review the eligibility criteria for funeral expenses payments.

Caroline Dinenage: My Department has recently conducted a consultation on proposed reforms to the Funeral Expenses Payments scheme. The consultation focused on clarifying issues around eligibility and making the process for claiming Funeral Expenses Payments simpler. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish the Government response later in the year.

Children: Maintenance

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints the Child Maintenance Service received in the first six months of 2017 on the 25 per cent threshold for payment reassessment.

Caroline Dinenage: In the first 6 months of 2017 the CMS has received 25 complaints where the 25% payment reassessment threshold was recorded to be part of, but not necessarily the main driver of, the complaint.

Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the total sum of housing benefit payable to households living in the private rented sector in 2017-18.

Caroline Dinenage: Forecasts of Housing Benefit expenditure, consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2017 Economic and Fiscal Outlook are available on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2017 Expenditure on Housing Benefit for households living in the private rented sector in 2017/18 is forecast to be £8.8 billion. This includes the Housing Benefit that would have been paid to households who are instead receiving housing support through Universal Credit.

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to bring forward proposals to include redundancy payments and savings in the mandatory disclosure to the Child Maintenance Service in the event of loss of employment by the paying parent.

Caroline Dinenage: We have no plans to require parents to routinely disclose information about redundancy payments or savings as they are not taken into account as income within the calculation, nor can arrears be deducted from a redundancy payment prior to it being deposited into a bank account. Child maintenance arrears can be enforced against both savings and redundancy payments which have been paid out to the non-resident parent.

Department for Work and Pensions: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has received from sub-lets on its estate in each year since 2010.

Caroline Dinenage: Since 1998 the Department occupies the majority of its accommodation under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME contract. Under the terms of this 20-year PFI, the Department contracts to occupy fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner, Telereal Trillium. The leases for the buildings in question are included within the provisions of this PFI arrangement and are therefore not held by DWP, all vacant space not required is surrendered back to Telereal Trillium. We have co-locations where other local government organisations that work closely with the Department share our space and occupy under a licence, these are few and far between and no central records are kept. The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work capability assessment in supporting disabled people into work; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: We have responded to a range of recommendations from five Independent Reviews. In addition, we have consulted through the Work and Health Green Paper how we might improve the assessment process, and how we can use information more effectively to support this group in the future.

Statutory Sick Pay

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to reform statutory sick pay as part of his Department's work to support more disabled people into employment.

Penny Mordaunt: In the Improving Lives Green Paper we consulted on how Statutory Sick Pay could be reformed to encourage supportive conversations between the employer and employee and make it easier for people to make a phased return to work. We are now considering the full range of consultation responses and next steps on Statutory Sick Pay. We welcome Matthew Taylor’s ‘Good Work - Modern Working Practices’ and his detailed consideration of statutory sick pay. We are considering his recommendations in detail and will respond in due course.

Housing Benefit

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much each local authority was allocated in Discretionary Housing Payment funding in each of the last three years; and how much each authority has spent from that funding in each such year.

Caroline Dinenage: Details of each local authority’s Discretionary Housing Payment funding and expenditure are published for each financial year and can be found on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments-statistics

Housing Benefit

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people who want to access Discretionary Housing Payments are not blocked by overly strict criteria set by local authorities.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Discretionary Housing Payments are being spent for the intended purpose by local authorities.

Caroline Dinenage: Discretionary Housing Payments are specifically used for the purpose of helping individuals with their housing costs provided they are in receipt of either Housing Benefit or the housing costs element of Universal Credit. These payments are very flexible and can be considered where, in the local authority’s opinion, further financial assistance towards housing costs is required. Local Authorities are able to set their own policy, criteria and application process with payments being made entirely at their discretion.

Personal Independence Payment: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for personal independence payment in the London Borough of Southwark have been due to a mental health illness in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: The requested information for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) applications is not available as information on PIP claimants’ disabling conditions is not collected at the initial claim application stage. Only those who have a disability assessment determination decision will have a primary disabling condition recorded for them. The Department does not therefore hold data on the number of individuals with a particular condition who make a claim for PIP. The latest available data on PIP claims in payment, including by main disabling condition and geography (e.g. local authority), are published on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. These data relate to the claimant’s main disabling condition. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions, but these cannot be identified from the data the department holds. Therefore there may be other claimants in receipt of PIP who have been diagnosed with a mental health illness who are not captured in the above data.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet the hon. Member for Coventry North East and a delegation from WASPI Coventry to discuss changes to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s.

Guy Opperman: There are no current plans to meet with representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign in the immediate future. This matter has been comprehensively debated on many occasions in Parliament, most recently in a Westminster Hall Debate on 5th July 2017 in which I stated I will be meeting the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) when it is reformed.

Personal Independence Payment: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the London Borough of Southwark have appealed against his Department's decision not to grant them personal independence payment in each of the last five years; and how many of those appeals have been successful in those years.

Penny Mordaunt: The table below shows the number of appeals lodged against Personal Independence Payment claims which were disallowed at initial decision and where this decision was upheld at mandatory reconsideration, the number of these appeals where a decision has been made and the number of these appeals that were subsequently successful for the appellant, for the London Borough of Southwark over the last five years.  Year of appeal lodgementNumber of appeals lodgedNumber of appeals with a decisionNumber of successful appeals (for the appellant)2013###2014101010201515014010020161801701302017 (to April ’17)804030Total420390270 ‘# ‘used for instances where there are less than 5 cases to avoid the release of confidential data

Universal Credit: Self-employed

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the universal credit minimum income floor on self-employed creative workers whose incomes are unpredictable.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will commission an independent review of the universal credit minimum income floor to improve its responsiveness to the conditions of people in self-employment; and if he will suspend the introduction of that floor for self-employed claimants until such a review has been completed.

Damian Hinds: The Minimum Income Floor is designed to address flaws in the current system which allow some self-employed claimants to receive full State support while declaring low or zero earnings. It also prevents people from under-declaring earnings. This situation is unsustainable and unfair on the taxpayer. The Minimum Income Floor is expected to encourage those reporting very low self-employed income to increase their earnings. Some people will respond to this by increasing their earnings from self-employment, others will look for other employment to increase their income and it is applied equally across all sectors of self - employment. In addition, the Government recognises the need for claimants who are setting up a business to be given time to establish themselves and develop their business and customer base. That is why claimants who are gainfully self-employed and within one year of starting out in self-employment will be eligible for a ‘start-up period’, during which the Minimum Income Floor will not be applied for up to 12 months. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of self-employment alongside the roll out of Universal Credit.

Home Office

Immigration: Appeals

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to implement allowed appeals during each of the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: Information on the average time taken to implement allowed appeals during each of the last 12 months can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Refugees

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to reach decisions on applications for leave to remain in the UK as a stateless person during each of the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: The data required to answer the question in the requested format is not held. The UK is a signatory to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. In April 2013, the UK introduced Immigration Rules to allow stateless persons to be formally recognised as stateless and granted leave to remain where they do not otherwise qualify under any other provisions and cannot be removed to the country of their former habitual residence because they are not admissible for purposes of residence there. Those who have committed serious crimes or are considered to be a danger to the security or the public order of the UK are not eligible for stateless leave. Those who qualify under the Immigration Rules are normally granted 30 months limited leave to remain and can apply for further leave when that expires. They are eligible to apply for settlement after completing 5 years limited leave. Stateless persons and their dependent children, who believe that they have a fear of return to their home country, can also make an application for asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention. Those who qualify under the Immigration Rules are normally granted limited leave to remain for a 5 year period, with the option to apply for settlement when that leave expires. A stateless person may also make an application to register as a British citizen, if they are not recognised as a citizen of any country, providing they meet the qualifying criteria.  The Home Office regularly shares information with UNHCR, relating to stateless applications and decisions made. The information provided is published by UNHCR, in regular trend reports. The latest published report by UNHCR can be found at link below: http://www.unhcr.org/uk/statistics/unhcrstats/58aa8f247/mid-year-trends-june-2016.html

Entry Clearances

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July to Question 4282, how many people waiting beyond the normal standard response times currently have no estimate of when their decision will be made.

Brandon Lewis: When an application is defined as non-straightforward due to complexity, the customer will be written to and in this correspondence it is explained that their case will not be decided within the normal standard timeframes but that a decision will be made as soon as possible, and that the customer will be notified if there is any change. Cases deemed non-straightforward are subject to regular review. Published data on UKVI’s performance against service standards for applications made in the UK and from overseas, including the proportion of cases classified as non-straightforward, is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration

Asylum: Interviews

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was to carry out substantive asylum interviews following a claim for asylum in each of the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: The data required to answer the question is not recorded in a way that can be reported on accurately.The Home Office publishes figures on the outcome of asylum claims made within 6 months as part of its transparency agenda.The latest data can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-february-2017

Immigration: Families

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long the average waiting time was for a non-priority family of a settled person visa application decision (a) before VFS Global became an Official Partner of UK Visas and Immigration and (b) after VFS Global became an Official Partner of UK Visas and Immigraiton.

Brandon Lewis: The current contract with VFS was signed in September 2013 and has driven an improvement in customer service. However, the processing of a visa application is always carried out by UKVI staff and the Commercial Partner has no role in the assessment of applications.The Home Office publishes information on visa processing times, including those of non-priority family members of a settled person. This information can be found online at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2017/list-of-tables#visas.

Immigration: Families

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long the average waiting time is for a US applicant for a family of a settled person visa made through VFS Global for (a) a Bronze Premium Service Package, (b) a Silver Premium Service Package, (c) a Gold Premium Service Package, (d) a regular priority application and (e) a non-priority application for each of the years since VFS Global became the Official Partner of UK Visas and Immigration.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not included in statistics published by the Home Office.

Immigration: Families

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the different acceptance rates are for a family of a settled person visa applications made through VFS Globalin in the US for (a) a Bronze Premium Service Package, (b) a Silver Premium Service Package, (c) a Gold Premium Service Package, (d) a regular priority application and (e) a non-priority application for each of the years since VFS became the Official Partner of UK Visas and Immigration.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not included in statistics published by the Home Office.

Immigration

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigration applications have been paused while her Department assesses the implications of the judgment of the Supreme Court on 22 February 2017, in MM (Lebanon) and others v SSHD [2017] UKSC10; and what is the (a) longest and (b) average length of time for which those immigration applications have been paused.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications of the judgment of the Supreme Court of 22 February 2017 in MM (Lebanon) and others v SSHD [2017] UKSC10 for immigration applications.

Brandon Lewis: The changes in Immigration Rules referred to in the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS95 give effect to the findings of the Supreme Court judgment in MM (Lebanon) & Others in respect of exceptional circumstances and children’s best interests.The temporary hold in place since 22 February 2017 on applications falling for refusal under the Immigration Rules with which the judgment was concerned will be lifted on 10 August when these changes take effect. As of 30 June 2017, there were around 5,000 such applications on hold.

Visas: Fees and Charges

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what revenue has been raised from charging UK visa applicants for receipt of an email in each month since that charge was introduced.

Brandon Lewis: The financial arrangement in place between the Home Office and Sitel UK Ltd for the provision of Contact Centre Services (UK and International) is not available due to it being commercially sensitive.

Police: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to increase the police core grant to take account of the role of community policing in local counter terrorism work.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government protected overall police spending in the 2015 Spending Review, and the 2017/18 police funding settlement maintains that commitment, with most forces seeing a slight increase in their spending power compared with 2015/16. However, Ministers have begun a programme of engagement with the police to better understand the demands they face, and how these can best be managed. In parallel, we are reviewing our counter-terrorism arrangements to ensure that we are doing everything possible to address the threat from terrorism and to keep the public safe, drawing on lessons from the attacks in London and Manchester. This review will ensure that the police and the security services have the powers they need and that the prison sentences for those found guilty of terror offences are sufficient to keep us all safe. The findings of this review work will feed into a new counter-terrorism strategy.

Entry Clearances: Canada

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many marriage visa applications from Canadian nationals were overturned on appeal by her Department in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many marriage visa applications from Australian nationals were overturned on appeal in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many marriage visa applications from (a) Pakistan, (b) Indian, (c) Bangladeshi and (d) American nationals were overturned on appeal in (i) 2014, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2016.

Brandon Lewis: The information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Visas: Temporary Employment

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to implement the recommendation in the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's report, Building the Post-Brexit Immigration System, published in June 2017, on introducing seasonal temporary work visas.

Brandon Lewis: No final decisions have been taken on the UK’s post-Brexit Immigration system. We are considering the options for our future immigration system very carefully. It is important that we understand the impacts on the different sectors of the economy and the labour market. We will, therefore, ensure that businesses and communities have the opportunity to contribute their views. We will build a comprehensive picture of the needs and interests of all parts of the UK and look to develop a system which works for all.

Entry Clearances: Bangladesh

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many marriage visa applications from Bangladeshi nationals her Department received in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016; and how many of those applications were (i) accepted, (ii) rejected and (iii) rejected for failing to meet the income threshold requirement in each of those years.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many marriage visa applications from Indian nationals her Department received in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016; and how many of those were (i) accepted, (ii) rejected and (iii) rejected for failing to meet the income threshold requirement in each of those years.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many marriage visa applications from Pakistani nationals her Department received in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016; and how many of those were (i) accepted, (ii) rejected and (iii) rejected for failing to meet the income threshold requirement in each of those years.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many marriage visa applications from Australian nationals her Department received in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016; and how many of those were (i) accepted, (ii) rejected and (iii) rejected for failing to meet the income threshold requirement in each of those years.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many marriage visa applications from American nationals her Department received in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016; and how many of those were (i) accepted, (ii) rejected and (iii) rejected for failing to meet the income threshold requirement in each of those years.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many marriage visa applications from Canadian nationals her Department received in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016; and how many of those were (i) accepted, (ii) rejected and (iii) rejected for failing to meet the income threshold requirement in each of those years.

Brandon Lewis: Information on the number of Family: Partner applications, and the number of cases resolved (i.e. decisions, of which how many were granted or refused), is published quarterly. This is avalable at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2017/list-of-tables#visas It is not possible to separately identify applications made or decided under the previous or new rules. Not all of the family route statistics from 9 July 2012 onwards relate to the new Immigration Rules. Further details are provided in the ‘Family’ section of the User Guide to Home Office Immigration Statistics, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/user-guide-to-home-office-immigration-statistics--9

Visas: Sponsorship

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of allowing businesses and their representative bodies who obtain licensed sponsor status the ability to issue directly certificates of sponsorship for workers.

Brandon Lewis: Businesses who are licensed sponsors may already directly assign certificates of sponsorship to workers. The exception is where the Tier 2 (General) annual limit applies, in which cases employers must request certificates under a monthly allocation. This ensures that places go to workers with the skills most in need and who will make the greatest economic contributions.The entity sponsoring the worker needs to be sufficiently aware of their activities – that means the employer, rather than a representative body, is best suited to be the sponsor.

Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total fees were that her Department charged for same day visa services in 2016.

Brandon Lewis: Premium income generated overseas in 2016/2017 was £124,198,444.07. This represents the Premium element only and does not include the standard application fee. In-country Premium income for the same period was £133,851,555.00. This represents the combined income from the Premium fee and the standard application fee

Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for same day premium visa service have taken longer than six months to process.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not routinely publish the number of premium service applications that take longer than six months to process. The premium service published service standard is to complete 98.5% of straightforward cases on the same day. UKVI transparency data provides details of how the Premium Service Centres perform against that service standard. A link to the most recent available data is provided here; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-february-2017

Visas

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for same day premium visa services were granted on the same day in 2016.

Brandon Lewis: UKVI transparency data provides details of how the Premium Service Centres perform against that service standard. A link to the most recent available data is provided here; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-february-2017

UK Visas and Immigration: Public Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied for the post of Director-General of UK Visas and Immigration  following the resignation of Sarah Rapson.

Brandon Lewis: There was no recruitment campaign for the post of Director-General of UK visas and immigration following the resignation of Sarah Rapson. Mark Thomson, an existing Director General, was appointed to the role on 12th September 2016.

Passports

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many British passports are currently in circulation in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not monitor or record data on British passport holders who enter or leave the UK. On 31 December 2016, there were 49 million valid UK passports in issue, that were not cancelled, lost or stolen. This data is calculated at the end of each calendar year.

Passports: Lost Property

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports sent in to the Passport Office by members of the public have been lost in the post in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of introducing a visa for jobseekers in higher-skilled roles where employers have demonstrated a difficulty in finding suitable candidates.

Brandon Lewis: Since 2010, we have focused on admitting workers who already have a skilled job offer from a sponsoring employer under our Tier 2 visa system, rather than admitting people to look for work. Previous visa routes for jobseekers resulted in many filling low-skilled jobs or remaining unemployed, and were also heavily abused.There were 56,051 Tier 2 skilled work visa applications in the year ending March 2017, similar to the level in the previous year. This suggests employers are not experiencing difficulties recruiting candidates directly from overseas for highly skilled roles. Tier 2 ensures that workers are only admitted where employers have demonstrated that a role cannot be filled from the resident labour market. This requirement is waived for recognised shortage occupations, such as doctors in emergency medicine, engineers in the oil and gas industry, and cyber security specialists.

Visas: Fees and Charges

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to review the fees charges for UK visa applications.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office reviews fees for all UK visa and immigration services on an annual basis, with changes to fees usually implemented on the April common commencement date.

Agriculture: Migrant Workers

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on creating a scheme to facilitate agricultural migrant workers after the UK leaves the EU.

Brandon Lewis: Future decisions about the degree of labour market access that will be made available to EU citizens after the UK leaves the European Union have yet to be determined.

Police: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 26 April 2017 to Question 71274, what proportion of the total police budget in England and Wales the £4.6 million outlined in that Answer represents.

Mr Nick Hurd: Overall police spending for 2016-17 was £11.6 billion and 2017-18 is £11.9 billion including precept. The vast majority of this funding (over £11bn in 2017-18) is provided directly to democratically elected Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables enabling them to tackle crime, including fraud.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department has provided to HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in each of the last six years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The budget for HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) for each of the last six years is set out in the table: Financial YearTotal HMIC Budget (£)PEEL Inspection Programme2012/1312,893,000 2013/1412,813,447 2014/1521,373,000Includes £9.4M for PEEL Inspections2015/1620,842,425Includes £9.4M for PEEL Inspections2016/1720,820,000Includes £9.2M for PEEL Inspections2017/1820,290,000Includes £9.2M for PEEL Inspections In addition, the Home Office provides HMIC with some estates and IT services without charge.

Immigration

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for leave to remain did not meet her Department's service standard processing time in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17; and how many such applications took more than a year to process in each period.

Brandon Lewis: Information on processing times for applications for leave to remain is published quarterly in the Home Office’s temporary and permanent migration statistics. A link to the most recent available data is available at; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-february-2017

Asylum: Housing

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what occasions contingency accommodation outside the initial accommodation centres was being used to accommodate asylum seekers who receive (i) s98 and (ii) s95 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 during 2016-17.

Brandon Lewis: Contingency accommodation arrangements were used to provide s.98 accommodation in the first three quarters of 2016/17 to ensure that destitute asylum seekers were safely accommodated during a period of high demand.No provider has regularly accommodated supported asylum seekers in contingency accommodation outside the initial accommodation estate since January 2017.

Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 4290, whether she plans for the Free Movement Directive rules on rights retained by family members of an EU citizen in certain circumstances to continue after the specified date.

Brandon Lewis: The Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464), sets out the UK’s proposals for securing the rights of EU citizens and their family members who are resident in the UK before a specified date. As set out in my response to question 4290, Paragraph 29 footnote 6 sets out that the definition of family member includes those with retained rights. Further details on the eligibility criteria will be published in due course.

Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2017 to Question 3562, when her Department plans to set up an application process to enable those who wish to do so to get their new settled status.

Brandon Lewis: We intend to create a new application process for the new UK settled status and aim to make it as simple and user-friendly as possible. We will make an announcement on this in due course once an agreement with the EU has been reached. We intend the scheme to open in 2018.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 4682, how an EU citizen will (a) know and (b) prove he or she has deemed leave.

Brandon Lewis: Deemed leave will apply to all EU citizens (and their family members) who are lawfully resident in the UK on the date of exit. The Government will publish clear guidance on who will benefit from deemed leave on GOV.UK. Deemed leave will be granted by Order, which will set out the conditions required in order for EU citizens and their family members to benefit from that leave. Such leave does not require an application or documentation proving that such leave is held.

Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2017 to Question 3555, whether those who currently qualify or have qualified for permanent residence without five years' continuous lawful residence will be eligible for settled status or whether they will have to satisfy the five years requirement.

Brandon Lewis: Those who currently qualify for permanent residence before completion of a continuous period of five years of residence, as per Article 17 Directive 2004/38, will also be eligible for settled status and will not need to satisfy the five year continuous residence requirement.Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/631038/Joint_technical_note_on_the_comparison_of_EU-UK_positions_on_citizens__rights.pdf.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2017 to Question 3564, on immigration: EU nationals, whether the UK nationals who have rights under the Zambrano principle will continue to enjoy those rights once the UK has left the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464), which was laid before Parliament on 26 June, sets out how it proposes to safeguard the position of EU citizens and their family members who are currently living in the UK under the Free Movement Directive (2004/38/EC). Further proposals, relating to those who derive a right of residence from other instruments of European Union (EU) law, will be set out in due course.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2017 to Question 3560, whether non-UK EU nationals who acquire settled status but are then absent for more than two consecutive years from the UK will lose their settled status without any right to return other than under UK immigration rules applying to other non-UK citizens or future immigration rules applying to non-UK EU citizens.

Brandon Lewis: As set out in paragraph 20 of the Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464), settled status would generally be lost if a person was absent from the UK for more than two years, unless they have strong ties here.We will publish more details of the new scheme, including details of eligibility criteria and the definition of strong ties, in due course once an agreement has been reached.

Visas

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications have been received by UK Visas and Immigration in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Information on the number of visa applications, grants, refusals, withdrawals and lapsed cases is published quarterly. The latest data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017/list-of-tables#visas

Visas: Married People

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department provides for its caseworkers on (a) the timescale for, (b) the use of discretion in assessing and (c) assessment of the minimum income in applications for spouses to join someone with a legal right to live in the UK, including the timescale, the assessment of minimum income and the application of discretion.

Brandon Lewis: The guidance for caseworkers on the minimum income requirement for spouse visas is published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chapter-8-appendix-fm-family-members

Immigration

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's definition of a complex case is with regard to immigration cases; and how the decision is taken for a case not to be subject to the timescale of six months for an immigration decision.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office has clear internal guidance on the management of asylum claims and the factors that can lead to a case being designated as ‘non straight forward’. These cases are proactively managed to ensure barriers are cleared and decisions are made as soon as possible. There are many factors that could lead to a case being designated as ‘non straight forward’ including medical issues with the claimant, non compliance from the claimant that delays case progression and referrals to specialist casework units. The decision to designate a case as ‘non straight forward’ must be discussed and agreed by an officer at least the grade of a Senior Executive Officer and a case cannot be designated simply because the 6 month target cannot be met. Where a case is designated as ‘non straight forward the claimant will be informed of the delay to the decision.

British Nationality: Assessments

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK test is being correctly used in (a) Bristol and (b) elsewhere.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office has a number of measures in place to ensure testing around both English language and knowledge of life is correctly followed in all parts of the country. To maintain the integrity of the process we do not publicise the specific measures in place.

Visas: Married People

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to change the English language requirement for spouse visa applications; and if she will make statement.

Brandon Lewis: Being able to speak English is fundamental to successful integration into British society, helping migrants to participate in community life and find work.The Supreme Court has upheld the lawfulness of the English language requirement for spouse visas. It agreed that the requirement strikes a fair balance between the interests of those wishing to sponsor a spouse to settle here and of the community in general.

Police: Biometrics

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Biometrics Strategy, due to be published in 2013, will be released.

Brandon Lewis: The Biometrics Strategy will be published in due course.

Asylum

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum support applications are processed within the Government's target times.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has a range of targets for processing support applications depending on the nature of the application being made. We have processed at least 95% of applications within the targets this financial year, this includes the initial processing of applications that we have considered and have asked the applicant to provide more information to allow us to make a decision.

Asylum

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers fall into destitution or homelessness during the process of their application for refuge in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute can apply for free accommodation and cash support to cover their essential living needs whilst their cases are considered. If an applicant has an emergency need for accommodation they apply for support under Section 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 whilst their application for support is being processed; the vast majority of such requests are processed on the same day.

Asylum

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many section 98 applications submitted from asylum seekers before 3pm receive a reply on the same day.

Brandon Lewis: If an asylum seeker has an emergency need for accommodation they can ask to be provided with support under Section 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 whilst their support application is being processed. For the period 26 June 2017 until 31 August 2017 98.1% of all section 98 requests received a same day decision whether they were received before or after 3pm.These figures are based on local management information. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, is subject to change and should be treated as provisional.

Asylum

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil servants process asylum applications; and how many have done so in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: Decisions on asylum claims are made by Decision Makers in Asylum Intake and Casework; and the Home Office has rolling recruitment campaigns to maintain the number of Decision Makers which allows cases to be progressed in line with service standards.

British Nationality

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants for British citizenship have been waiting three years or more to have their application granted.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not publish this data in the format requested. The Home Office are currently deciding 100% of straightforward applications for British citizenship within six months. The most recent figures for British citizenship applications can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-august-2017 Some applications are not straightforward and may take longer than six months to decide. These applications are of a particularly complex nature where further investigation is required, often involving other government departments and external agencies.

UK Visas and Immigration: Contracts

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the operation of the contract with Sitel UK for UK Visas and Immigration since its entry into force on 1 June 2017.

Brandon Lewis: The contract with Sitel has been live for 3 months and so it is too early to make that assessment. The contract will be reviewed at set points throughout its term.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2017 to Question 5865, whether applicants for settled status will need to have resided legally for a continuous period of five years within the meaning of Article 16(1) and Article 16(2) of the EU Free Movement Directive 2004/38/EC.

Brandon Lewis: As set out on page 5 of the “Joint technical note on the comparison of EU-UK positions on citizens’ rights” (www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-technical-note-on-the-comparison-of-eu-uk-positions-on-citizens-rights), the UK’s position is that eligibility for settled status should be based on the conditions set out in Articles 16 and 17 of the EU Free Movement Directive (2004/38/EC).

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2017 to Question 5865, whether people who currently qualify under the derogation in Article 17 of the EU Free Movement Directive 2004/38/EC will qualify for settled status subject to the same criteria.

Brandon Lewis: As set out on page 5 of the “Joint technical note on the comparison of EU-UK positions on citizens’ rights” (www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-technical-note-on-the-comparison-of-eu-uk-positions-on-citizens-rights), the UK’s position is that eligibility for settled status should be based on the conditions set out in Articles 16 and 17 of the EU Free Movement Directive (2004/38/EC).

Visas: Malawi

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) the Scotland-Malawi Partnership on the issue of visitor visas to Malawians.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office has an established dialogue with the Scotland Malawi Partnership, which includes discussion on visas for Malawian nationals. The Home Office has had no recent discussions with the Scottish Government on this subject.

British Nationality: English Language

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons her Department has blacklisted citizenship applications from applicants who took the TOEIC test through companies accused of fraudulent activities; when those applicants were defrauded by those companies; and what steps she is taking to ensure that those applicants can still apply with an alternative proof of their level of English being of the required standard to process their application fairly.

Brandon Lewis: It is open to any person to apply for citizenship if they meet the statutory requirements.Those applying for naturalisation as a British citizen are required to demonstrate a knowledge of English at B1 level or above, and that they are of good character.As a TOEIC test is no longer a recognised English test qualification, an alternative qualification must be presented to satisfy the knowledge of English requirement.Where evidence is available which identifies individuals as having obtained an invalid test certificate, additional scrutiny is applied by caseworkers as part of the assessment of good character, as would be applied to any other potential indication of adverse character or deception. The decision reached is based on the facts of the case and the overall assessment of the applicant’s suitability for naturalisation in accordance with nationality law and published policy.Further guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nationality-policy-guidance

Immigration: EU Nationals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Government's policy paper entitled The United Kingdom's exit from the European Union: safeguarding the position of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU, published on 26 June 2017, whether the application fees for the various status' announced in that policy paper will be set following consultation; and whether EU citizens will be required to pay such fees each time they transition from one status to another status such as from temporary status to settled status.

Brandon Lewis: Fees and charges related to the new settlement scheme are being considered as part of the negotiations. As set out in the published joint technical note on citizens’ rights (available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-technical-note-on-the-comparison-of-eu-uk-positions-on-citizens-rights), both the UK and EU position is that documents should be issued free of charge or for a charge not exceeding that imposed on nationals for issuing of similar documents.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 6 of the Government's policy paper entitled The United Kingdom's exit from the European Union: safeguarding the position of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU, published on 26 June 2017, whether the criteria for whether a person is a qualifying EU citizen will be set out in primary or secondary legislation.

Brandon Lewis: The new settlement scheme will be set out in the UK’s Immigration Rules.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 6 of the Government's policy paper entitled The United Kingdom's exit from the European Union: safeguarding the position of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU, published on 26 June 2017, what the definition is of five years continuous residence.

Brandon Lewis: We will publish further detail on the specifics of the new application process for settled status, including detailed eligibility criteria, in due course. As set out in the published joint technical note on citizens’ rights (available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-technical-note-on-the-comparison-of-eu-uk-positions-on-citizens-rights), both the UK and EU position is that the conditions for acquiring settled status should be based on the conditions for acquiring permanent residence as per Article 16 of Directive 2004/38.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects to be able to announce the cut-off date for EU citizens to qualify for settled status or temporary status.

Brandon Lewis: The ‘cut off’ date is a matter for negotiations with the EU as part of delivering a reciprocal agreement.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long she expects a decision on settled status to take once an application has been submitted; and whether there will be a maximum waiting limit for such a decision.

Brandon Lewis: Published service standards for all Indefinite Leave to Remain applications are to complete 100% of straightforward applications within six months. Where an application is defined as non-straightforward, due to complexity, the customer will be written to within the normal processing time to explain why it will not be decided within the normal standard, and to explain what will happen next.

Asylum: Afghanistan

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been (a) granted and (b) refused to Afghan nationals in each year since 2010.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications from Zimbabwean nationals have been (a) received, (b) granted and (c) refused in each year since 2008.

Brandon Lewis: Figures on asylum applications, grants and refusals by nationality are published quarterly. The latest data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/638597/asylum1-apr-jun-2017-tables.ods

Visas: Fisheries

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many transit visas the Government has issued during the last three years in the UK fishing sector.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not routinely collate the specific information requested. To obtain this information would require the examination of individual records, and incur disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes data on visa application volumes, including total numbers of transit visas issued, online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017/

Immigration: Biometrics

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the (a) efficacy of procedures and (b) adequacy of the time taken to process applications for no time limit and biometric immigration documentation by individuals who already have indefinite leave to remain.

Brandon Lewis: Efficacy of procedure and adequacy of time taken to process applications for no time limit and biometric immigration documents are subject to ongoing review as part of internal Home Office improvement procedures.

EU Nationals: Republic of Ireland

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what status citizens of the Republic of Ireland will have in the UK after the UK leaves the EU; and whether she plans to review the Ireland Act 1949.

Brandon Lewis: The close historic, social and cultural ties between the UK and Ireland have led to the creation of additional rights above those associated with common membership of the EU. Leaders in the UK and Ireland have confirmed their commitment to protecting these rights enjoyed by UK and Irish nationals when in the other State.As outlined in the UK Government policy paper released on 26 June, relating to the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, we want to protect the rights enjoyed by UK and Irish nationals when in the other State. Irish citizens residing in the UK will not be required to apply for settled status to protect their entitlements.While the special status afforded to Irish citizens within the UK is rooted in the Ireland Act 1949 it has been provided for by subsequent primary and secondary legislation, including the Immigration Act 1971, and UK-Ireland bilateral agreements which are distinct from EEA Treaty rights.

Intercountry Adoption

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the extent to which the UK's immigration rules on adopted children (a) meet obligations under the Hague Adoption Convention and (b) adequately support families with adopted children within the visa system.

Brandon Lewis: Any non-European Economic Area national child wishing to come to the UK to settle here with their parent must apply for entry clearance under the family Immigration Rules. These make provision for a child whose adoption is legally recognised under the Hague Convention or otherwise and for a child to come to the UK for the purposes of adoption, providing that particular requirements and safeguards are met.

UK Visas and Immigration: Email

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the £5.48 email receipt charge levied on emails to UK Visas and Immigration from outside the UK will represent a return to the public purse.

Brandon Lewis: The £5.48 email charge is levied to fund the commercial contract as the UK government believes it is right that those who use and benefit directly from the UK immigration system make an appropriate contribution towards meeting the costs of the immigration system. Those who use the services from outside the UK are predominantly prospective customers and in many cases no application will be made and no application fee collected. Our web site www.gov.uk is the main source of information and advice and is free of charge.

Visas

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications have been received since 30 May 2017 from people who cannot use services in the eight languages offered but who would have had services available to them in their languages before 1 June 2017.

Brandon Lewis: We do not hold this data as we do not collect information based on this.

UK Visas and Immigration: Email

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on access to UK Visas and Immigration's services of its new charges of £5.48 per email received from overseas for certain visa applications.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not held.

Asylum

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that expert medical opinions are taken into account as part of the application process for victims of torture seeking asylum.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support torture victims seeking asylum in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: All officials making decisions on asylum claims receive a dedicated five-week foundation training programme which incorporates all relevant aspects of international and domestic law.Within this programme there are specific sections on torture and medical reports, and how they should be considered and analysed in asylum claims. Medical reports will be considered together with other written and oral evidence in determining an asylum claim to ensure alleged victims of torture have their claims assessed fairly and sensitively.

Asylum

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that asylum assessment standards comply with her Department's guidelines.

Brandon Lewis: All asylum claims lodged in the UK are carefully considered on their individual merits against a background of relevant case law and up to date country information. We ensure that claimants are given every opportunity to disclose information relevant to their claim before a decision is taken, even where that information may be sensitive or difficult to disclose. We continue to work to improve the quality of decision-making to ensure that we properly consider all the evidence provided and get decisions right the first time. UK Visas and Immigration has an internal audit process, consisting of reviews by senior case workers and independent auditors, which assesses the application of Home Office policy.

Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguards are in place to ensure that human rights legislation is complied with in respect of detainees at Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre.

Brandon Lewis: The Human Rights Act 1998 requires that primary and subordinate legislation must be given effect in a way that is compatible with the Convention rights defined in the Act.Detainees in the immigration detention estate, including those in Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), must be treated in accordance with the Detention Centre Rules 2001, the operating standards for IRCs and Detention Services Orders.Service providers for IRCs are contractually required to comply with all relevant UK legislation.IRCs are subject to statutory oversight by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons and by Independent Monitoring Boards who are both members of the National Preventative Mechanism comprising a group of independent bodies which monitor the treatment of and conditions for detainees.This contributes to the UK’s response to its international obligations under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).

Visas

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa application cases have taken over (a) six, (b) nine, (c) 12 and (d) 18 months to be processed in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Data on visa processing times, including the percentage of visas processed within published service standards, is published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data (then listed by publication date under ‘UK Visas & Immigration’).

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 20 of her Department's policy paper Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June 2017, how an EU citizen with settled status returning to the UK after a two-year absence could prove strong ties to the UK in order to retain settled status.

Brandon Lewis: The Government proposes that discretion be applied to those EU citizens for whom settled status would otherwise be lost after an absence from the UK of greater than two years, if they can demonstrate sufficiently strong ties to the UK. The aim is to protect groups such as (but not limited to) students and posted workers, who have lived most of their life in the UK and have only been abroad for more than two years because of the nature of their work, study or other circumstances, but plan to return to continue their life here. The matter is subject to negotiation and we will publish further details in due course.

Refugees: Children

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to ensure that unaccompanied children will be able to be reunited with their close family when the UK leaves the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The UK strongly supports the principle of family unity and there are already legal routes for families to be reunited safely that are not dependent on our EU membership. The UK’s family reunion policy is generous, and we have and continue to reunite refugees with their immediate family, including granting over 23,000 family reunion visas over the last five years. The EU Dublin Regulation determines the Member State with responsibility for assessing an asylum claim. Under the Regulation unaccompanied children present in another EU Member State can be transferred to the UK to have their asylum claim assessed where they have a qualifying family member or relative legally present and transfer is in their best interests. We expect cooperation on asylum and migration with our European partners to continue after the UK leaves the EU, and will discuss the exact nature of this cooperation in negotiations.

Brook House Immigration Removal Centre

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether proceedings are being (a) considered and (b) brought against any individual members of (i) her Department's and (ii) G4S staff as a result of investigations arising from BBC Panorama's investigation into Brook House.

Brandon Lewis: The Government takes detainee welfare very seriously. Immediate action has been taken in response to the allegations raised by BBC Panorama. Sussex police has begun an investigation to establish whether criminal offences have been committed. G4S has suspended ten officers and is carrying out full investigations. The Home Office has suspended a former G4S officer, now a Home Office employee, and is carrying out an investigation.

Radicalism

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her Written Statement of 12 July 2017, HCWS39, on extremism, if the Government will publish information on Saudi funding for extremism in the UK.

Sarah Newton: The Government’s Written Ministerial Statement of Wednesday 12 July 2017 conveyed the main findings of the review into the funding for Islamist extremist activity in the UK. The review has improved the Government’s understanding of the nature, scale and sources of funding for Islamist extremism in the UK. The review’s report is classified because of the volume of personal information it contains and for national security reasons. The Written Ministerial Statement is a comprehensive and representative reflection of the review’s findings. The Government has no plans to comment further on the review’s findings. The Government’s priority is making the best use of the tools available to disrupt extremist activity in the UK.

Schengen Agreement: ICT

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is the Government's policy to retain UK membership of the Schengen Information System after the UK leaves the EU.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will list the types of information currently available to UK enforcement agencies as a result of membership of the Schengen Information System.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Schengen Information System makes information available to UK law enforcement on: persons wanted for arrest by another participating State; missing persons in need of protection or whose whereabouts need to be ascertained; persons being investigated for serious offences or who are thought to present a threat to the public, and objects linked to them; persons needed to assist with a judicial procedure, e.g. potential witnesses; and objects sought for seizure or use as evidence in criminal proceedings. The Prime Minister has made clear that one of the twelve objectives for the negotiations ahead will be to establish a new relationship with the European Union that includes practical arrangements on matters of security and law enforcement cooperation to tackle cross-border crime and to keep our people safe. We continue to work closely with EU partners and we are examining the options for future cooperation arrangements once the UK has left the EU, but it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions on specific measures that currently facilitate our practical cooperation in advance of negotiations.

Asylum

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration has been given to decreasing delays in processing asylum support applications; and whether the Government has considered allowing people seeking sanctuary in the UK the right to work.

Brandon Lewis: We monitor the time it takes to decide applications for asylum support closely and have brought down the processing times over the last year. If a destitute asylum seeker has an immediate need for support, for example because they are homeless, they can apply to be admitted to emergency accommodation. We aim to make decisions on these cases on the same day.The Government has a longstanding policy of only granting asylum seekers permission to work in the UK if their asylum claim has been outstanding for at least 12 months through no fault of their own and only in jobs on the shortage occupation list. There are no plans to change this policy.

Police: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes in population in different parts of the UK since the 2001 Census on the allocation of resources under the police allocation formula.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what categories of activity are considered to be Non-Crime Activity under the Police Allocation Formula; from where the data relating to such activities is drawn; and to what time period that data relates.

Mr Nick Hurd: Information on the non-crime activities and the data it is based on is included in the existing Police Allocation Formula is published annually in the Police Grant Report for England and Wales, most recently in February 2017.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/588196/Police_Grant_report_2017-18_Accessible.pdfPopulation data was annually updated until 2010/11 since when forces have had their allocations of core Central Government funding reduced by the same percentage.

Visas

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are currently awaiting decisions on visas to enter the UK; how many officials work on the decision-making process for those visas; and what the average waiting time for a decision is in such cases.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office publishes information on visa processing times and the number of cases ‘in progress’ online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data (listed by publication date under ‘UK Visas & Immigration’).UK Visas and Immigration operate flexible staffing resources and deploy staff in line with demands on the service. Data on staffing within UK Visas & Immigration is published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#staffing-data

Home Office: Staff

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many new staff her Department plans to employ to manage immigration to the UK after the UK leaves the EU; and how many staff she plans to redeploy from within her Department to work on registration and visa systems after the UK has left the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office constantly reviews its capabilities in order to deliver the Government’s agenda. With negotiations now underway, we continue to assess how our priorities will impact on the workforce and capabilities required. Operational units across the Home Office actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand and will continue to do so throughout negotiations and as the UK leaves the EU. Any resultant changes to resource requirements will be factored into strategic planning.

Refugees: Children

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will consider the recommendations of the report by Christine Beddoe on separated and unaccompanied minors in Europe.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has noted the report by the Human Trafficking Foundation into the independent inquiry into the situation of separated and unaccompanied minors in parts of Europe and is considering its recommendations. We are already working on a number of the areas addressed in the report. The UK is working very closely with France and other EU Member States in respect of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. This includes ensuring the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin Regulation, to allow children with qualifying family in the UK to be transferred here for consideration of their asylum claim, where it is in the child’s best interests. We also remain fully committed to implementing section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, and are working with Member State authorities and other partners to identify and transfer children to the UK quickly and safely. However, the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children lies with the authorities in the country in which children are present. The UK government does not have the authority to operate unauthorised on the territory of another sovereign state.The Department for Education and Home Office continue to work together with local authorities and NGOs to ensure that vulnerable children are safe, and their welfare promoted once they arrive in the UK. A joint safeguarding strategy for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children is due to be published in the Autumn.

Police Custody: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of mental health support available to people detained in police custody.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1983 (PACE) sets out the statutory framework governing the duties of the police in respect of custodial care and the rights and entitlements of a detainee in police custody, including healthcare. Ensuring these requirements are met is an operational matter for the police. In addition, Liaison and Diversion schemes, which provide a referral service into assessment and support services for those in custody with mental health or substance misuse issues currently cover 68 per cent of the population of England. Roll out is continuing and coverage is expected to extend to 82 per cent of the country by April 2018. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has a rolling programme of police force inspections, which includes the treatment of detainees and conditions in police custody. Reports are published on the Justice Inspectorates website.

Deaths and Serious Incidents in Police Custody Independent Review

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Independent Review of Deaths and Serious Incidents in Police Custody announced on 23 July 2015 will be published.

Mr Nick Hurd: The review is being carefully considered and it will be published in due course.

Police Custody: Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police forces use private companies to provide healthcare to people held in police custody.

Mr Nick Hurd: The provision of police custody healthcare services is the responsibility of individual Police and Crime Commissioners. Information on the companies that provide these services is an operational policing matter and not held centrally by the Home Office.

Immigration

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time was for immigration applications that fell outside service standards because they raised human rights issues between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017.

Brandon Lewis: The migration transparency data does not directly answer the question, but does show performance against service standards for routes that have them, and work in progress volumes for all routes.It can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-august-2017The data at table at InC_05 does not breakdown into specific case types and will include non human rights cases.

Immigration: Greater London

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been classified as having no recourse to public funds in (a) Camberwell and Peckham constituency and (b) the London Borough of Southwark in each of the last five years.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people with dependents have been classified as having no recourse to public funds in (a) Camberwell and Peckham constituency and (b) the London Borough of Southwark in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Statistics on specific constituencies are not published and cannot be obtained electronically. Published data relating to extensions of leave to remain is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2017

Refugees

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of applicants who were refused leave to remain as a stateless person since April 2013, how many were recognised as stateless persons but not considered eligible for leave to remain.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for leave to remain as a stateless person have been received each year from April 2013 to present; and how many such applications were (a) granted, (b) refused, (c) declared invalid, (d) withdrawn, (e) still pending after six months, (f) still pending after 12 months and (g) still pending after 18 months.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to include within published immigration statistics data relating to applications for leave to remain as a stateless person under Part 14 of the Immigration Rules.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to record and publish data in relation to the number and outcome of applications received from stateless persons each year under paragraph 3, schedule 2 to the British Nationality Act 1981.

Brandon Lewis: I am sorry but we do not hold the data required to answer the question in the requested format. The Home Office regularly shares information with UNHCR, relating to stateless applications and decisions made. The information provided is published by UNHCR, in regular trend reports. The latest published report by UNHCR on mid year trends June 2016 can be found at link below: http://www.unhcr.org/uk/statistics/unhcrstats/58aa8f247/mid-year-trends-june-2016.html

Refugees

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for British citizenship for people recognised as stateless the naturalisation or registration fee has been waived or reduced in the last five years; and of these how many were (a) for applicants under 18 years, (b) for applicants under 22 years at the time of application and applying under Paragraph 3, Schedule 2 of the British Nationality Act 1981 and (c) adult naturalisation applications under section 6 of the British Nationality Act 1981.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not report on or publish this data.

Undocumented Workers: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many firms have been prosecuted on more than one separate occasion in Northern Ireland for employing staff who did not have a legal right to be in the UK in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Since 2014, Immigration Enforcement has prosecuted one individual in Northern Ireland for employing an individual(s) subject to immigration control. Prior to 2014, the Home Office did not hold this information centrally and it could only now be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Immigration Controls: Australia

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to allow visitors from Australia to use e-passport gates as a matter of routine; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: Citizens of Australia who regularly travel to the UK or hold a UK visa already have the option of becoming a member of the Registered Traveller Service, the benefits of which include use of the ePassport gates. A complete overview of the service and the eligibility requirements can be found at: www.gov.uk/registered-traveller.

Seasonal Workers: EU Nationals

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of non-UK seasonal workers from the EU that are required for the (a) agricultural, (b) construction and (c) hospitality industries after the UK has left the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to assess the impact of leaving the EU on both seasonal and non-seasonal employment. The MAC will report in September 2018 but may produce interim reports before then.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of requests for consultancy and temporary staff for his Department were approved via a resource board.

Chloe Smith: The Department’s resourcing policy requires all requests for resources, including consultancy and temporary staff, to be approved by the departmental Resources Review Panel.

Northern Ireland Office: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether requests for consultancy and temporary staff for the his Department must be accompanied by a formal business case.

Chloe Smith: The Department’s resourcing policy requires all requests for resources, including consultancy and temporary staff, to be submitted as a formal business case to the departmental Resources Review Panel.

Flood Control: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what additional steps the Government plans to take in Northern Ireland to mitigate the risk of flooding as a result of recent flooding in the north-west of Northern Ireland.

James Brokenshire: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Enterprise Zones: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the effectiveness of Enterprise Zones in promoting  job creation and innovation in (a) Coleraine and (b) elsewhere in Northern Ireland.

James Brokenshire: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Pay

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many members of staff in her Department are paid more than (a) £80,000, (b) £100,000 and (c) £150,000.

Matt Hancock: Of the staff on DCMS’ payroll, 23 members of staff are paid more than £80,000. Of these:7 members of staff are paid more than £100,000. Of these,1 member of staff is paid more than £150,000

Channel Four Television: Apprentices

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of apprenticeships currently offered by Channel 4 by region.

Matt Hancock: The government does not hold this information. However, Channel 4 has informed us that it currently employs 11 apprentices, with 9 based in its London office, and 1 in each of its Manchester and Glasgow offices. In 2017/18 the number of apprenticeships will increase to a total of 16, of which 13 will be based in London, 2 in Manchester and 1 in Glasgow. In additional to formal apprenticeships, Channel 4's Production Training Scheme also provides entry-level, 12 month placements within Channel 4's production company suppliers. In 2016/17 there were a total of 12 trainees, 9 of whom are based in London, in additional to 1 In Birmingham and, 1 in Belfast and 1 in Newry. Further information should be obtained directly from Channel 4 who would be happy to discuss this matter with you.

BBC: Apprentices

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of apprenticeships currently offered by the BBC by region.

Matt Hancock: The government does not hold this information. However, the BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2016/17 published on 19 July 2017 shows that the BBC employed over 230 apprentices in the last year. The BBC has also announced a voluntary target to significantly upscale apprenticeship opportunities from 1% of its total workforce to 2.3% by the end of 2018, with opportunities being planned across the UK, including the BBC's regional television and local radio network Further information should be obtained directly from the BBC who would be happy to discuss this matter with you.`

Gaming Machines

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential cost to the public purse of capping stakes on gaming machines in betting shops at (a) £50, (b) £30, (c) £10 and (d) £2.

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has received on the potential number of betting shop jobs that would be lost in the event that stakes on gaming machines in betting shops are capped at (a) £50, (b) £30, (c) £10 and (d) £2.

Tracey Crouch: We are currently undertaking a review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures, which includes a close look at stakes on gaming machines in betting shops. I will publish the findings in October. DCMS will publish a full impact assessment of any changes to stakes it will consider as part of the findings. We also received representations from a number of organisations during the review, which provided evidence about the potential impact that a stake reduction on gaming machines in betting shops would have on closures.  Representations received as part of the call of evidence will be published alongside the review findings.

Charities: Finance

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her policy is on encouraging organisations offering grants, contracts or project funding to charities to include funding for capacity building.

Tracey Crouch: A wide range of voluntary and community sector funders are already offering capacity building support in addition to frontline project funding. Government has no specific policy of encouraging this practice. However, officials regularly work with independent funders and share knowledge on capacity building offers.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Pay

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish the number of (a) men and (b) women employed in her Department who earn over £100,000 per annum in bands of £25,000.

Matt Hancock: The number of male and female staff on DCMS’ payroll at the following salary bands is as follows:MaleFemale£100,000 - £124,99921£125,000 - £149,99921£150,000 - £174,99901

Sports Competitors: Entry Clearances

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what consultation she plans to carry out with sports national governing bodies prior to the UK leaving the EU on the entry of elite sports people into the UK after the UK has left the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: The Department recognises the importance of sport to the nation and within that the contribution of international talent, and the UK will seek to continue to attract the best of international talent across all sports. As the Government considers the options for a future immigration system we will also need to understand the potential impacts of any proposed changes in all parts of the UK. We will look to develop a system that works for all in consultation with all relevant sport stakeholders.

WiFi: Keighley

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to improve wi-fi coverage in Keighley constituency.

Matt Hancock: Digital connectivity is a clear priority for this Government. The Super Connected Cities Programme installed WiFi in 1491 public buildings with a combined annual footfall of over 114 million, including in Yorkshire.BDUK’s Superfast programme will provide at least 24 Megabits per second (Mbps) coverage to 95% of the UK by the end of this year. In Keighley, superfast coverage is already over 95%. As a result of the Government's landmark agreement with mobile operators in 2014, each mobile operator will deliver mobile coverage to 90% of the UK's landmass by the end of this year. Additionally O2 will deliver indoor 4G coverage to 98% of premises in the UK, also by the end of 2017.

Gaming Machines: Addictions

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of gaming machines on levels of gambling addiction.

Tracey Crouch: We are currently undertaking a review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures, which I announced in October 2016. The public consultation closed in December 2016, and we are currently reviewing the findings, which we will publish in October.

Business: Telephone Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) process and (b) time taken for businesses with more than one telephone line to switch provider.

Matt Hancock: It is the Office of Communications (Ofcom) responsibility, as the UK’s independent communications regulator, to consider the costs and benefits of switching for businesses. The Government has made clear its position that the switching process should be led by the organisation with the most interest in making the switching process work effectively, the gaining provider. A Gaining Provider Led switching process is in place for businesses with up to ten employees that switch their fixed line telephone provider across the Openreach network, which covers the vast majority of phone lines in the UK. We are committed to continuing to reduce barriers to switching, which is why the Digital Economy Act 2017, made explicit Ofcom's power to set general conditions for switching within the telecoms markets.

BBC: Pay

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Lord Hall since the publication of BBC presenters' salaries on 19 July 2017.

Matt Hancock: Ministers have regular discussions with the Director General on a range of topics including BBC presenter’s salaries.

Health Services: Arts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the use of art-based activities in preventing and curing (a) physical and (b) mental ill health.

John Glen: We believe that arts-based activity can have a significant role in improving health and wellbeing of citizens. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has previously commissioned research to develop the evidence base on the social and wellbeing impacts of cultural engagement, including on mental health conditions such as clinical depression. Research commissioned from the London School of Economics published in 2015 showed that people who engaged in the arts as an audience member were 5.4% more likely to report good health than non-participants.

Health Services: Arts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendations and conclusions of the report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing, Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing, published on 19 July 2017.

John Glen: We welcome the recent ‘Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing’ report. The report made a specific recommendation for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) the Department of Health (DoH) and other relevant departments to develop and lead a cross-government strategy to support the delivery of health and wellbeing through arts and culture. We are committed to exploring the potential for such a strategy further with these departments, including DoH.

Communication: Competition

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's policy is on supporting the introduction of gaining-provider led processes across the communications market set out in the Switching Principles Action Plan of May 2016.

Matt Hancock: The Government supports the principle of facilitating a Gaining Provider Led (GPL) switching process covering the communications markets, because the process should be led by the organisation with the most interest in making the switch work effectively for the benefit of consumers, the gaining provider. A GPL switching process is already in place for consumers who switch their fixed landline telephone provider across the Openreach network, which covers the vast majority of phone lines within in the UK, taking up to ten working days. The Government is committed to continuing to reduce the potential barriers that may prevent some consumers from deciding to switch, which is why we have ensured that the Digital Economy Act 2017, made explicit Ofcom's power to set general conditions for switching within the communications markets.

Motor Sports: Operating Costs

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will take steps to assist with the hosting fees of the British Grand Prix; and if she will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: The government fully recognises the major benefits of holding the British Grand Prix, given its status in the UK sporting calendar and the considerable wider economic opportunities it provides. The British Racing Drivers' Club have kept government informed about their discussions on the future of British Grand Prix, and this dialogue will continue. This is primarily a commercial matter between the British Racing Drivers' Club and Liberty F1 to progress.

Public Libraries

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department will provide to local authorities in England to maintain and run libraries in the next 12 months.

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to ensure that local authorities have adequate funds to maintain their local libraries.

John Glen: Local authorities are responsible for funding and providing public library services in England, and made net investment of £701 million in 2015/16. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has additionally provided funding support for library authorities throughout England. This included funding a £2.6 million programme to support the installation or upgrade of wifi in public libraries in England; benefitting around 1,000 libraries, and enabling over 99% of public libraries to offer free wifi. DCMS also financed the £3.9m Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone fund to support innovative library service activity to benefit disadvantaged people and places in England. The Government will continue to encourage local authorities to invest in libraries to ensure that they remain relevant and meet the needs of the community.

Broadband

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on increasing broadband speed and connectivity in the UK since 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: To date, The Government has invested £1.7 billion of public money to support vital improvements in broadband services across the UK, includes £691 million from my Department

Data Protection: EU Law

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential economic effect of the absence of a data adequacy agreement with the EU when the UK leaves the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: As part of the Government’s EU exit negotiations, we are committed to securing a deal on continued free flows of data between the EU and the UK, which provides for ongoing stability and certainty for both businesses, public authorities and individuals. The Government has recently published a paper outlining its vision for a future partnership on the exchange and protection of personal data with the EU. That paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/639853/The_exchange_and_protection_of_personal_data.pdf

Telecommunications: Misrepresentation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, (a) what steps she is taking to protect vulnerable consumers from mis-selling by communications providers and (b) what sanctions are in place for companies which are found to have sold vulnerable consumers services they do not need or cannot use.

Matt Hancock: The Office of Communications (Ofcom), as the UK’s independent communications regulator, has rules in place which prohibit all communication providers from engaging in dishonest, misleading or deceptive conduct when selling products and services, and obliges providers to ensure consumers fully understand and consent to a contract before it is agreed. Ofcom has also consulted on a proposal to require all communications providers to set out how they identify and meet the needs of vulnerable consumers. If Ofcom find evidence of a breach of its rules, it can take effective substantial action, has the power to fine companies up to 10% of their relevant annual turnover, and to also require them to remedy any issues that have arisen, including repaying affected customers who have lost money.

Pornography: Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has received on the implementation processes for age verification for online pornography; and how that data is stored and shared.

Matt Hancock: We are in discussion with a range of organisations, including the British Board of Film Classification as the intended age verification regulator, and those who will be involved in the regulatory framework, such as age verification providers. The Secretary of State Guidance to the Regulator, which will include details on how user’s data will be protected, will be laid in Parliament later this year.

Department of Health

Department of Health: Redundancy

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department spent facilitating voluntary exits for Department of Health staff in 2016-17; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The amount the Department spent facilitating voluntary exits for staff in 2016-17 was £31,568,000.

Department of Health: Vacancies

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many of the current vacancies in his Department were previously filled by staff who took voluntary exits in 2016-17.

Mr Philip Dunne: Current vacancies in the Department are a result of staff turnover and capability gaps within the new organisational structure. Roles that are currently vacant did not exist before the DH2020 programme and so were not filled by staff who left on voluntary exit.

Smoking: Health Education

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much of the funding committed by his Department to smoking cessation projects overseas has been spent to date.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much and what proportion of the official development assistance funding managed by his Department for the international stop smoking programme is being spent on (a) staff costs, (b) administration and (c) payments to the World Health Organisation.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library a copy of the first year evaluation report of the smoking cessation projects overseas which are managed by his Department.

Steve Brine: The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) 2030 project has entered its second operational year and the Department has spent £3,955,369 to date. The FCTC Secretariat is required to produce a full evaluation report at the end of the five year life span of the project. The Department has published the following business case for the project. This is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tobacco-control-measures-overseasThe Department of Health’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend is reported annually in the United Kingdom Government statistics on international development. The most up to date published information can be found in the 2016 provisional statistics produced by the Department for International Development in April 2017 at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-uk-official-development-assistance-as-a-proportion-of-gross-national-income-2016Table 3 shows a breakdown of UK Net ODA: by Government Department and Other Contributors of UK ODA, 2015 and 2016. In 2016, for the FCTC 2030 project, the Department spent £124,298 on a staff secondment to the World Health Organization and paid a £870,000 grant to the World Health Organization. The Department of Health’s administration costs are funded from a central ODA admin budget. The Department for International Development will publish final 2016 statistics on ODA in November 2017 which will contain a detailed breakdown of Department of Health’s ODA expenditure.

Smoking

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding he has allowed for the delivery of the Tobacco Control Plan for England.

Steve Brine: Councils will receive £16 billion of public health funding over the Spending Review period to deliver local health priorities tailored to the needs of their populations. Tobacco control is within this remit.

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the average cost to the public purse of dispensing a medicine through an (a) internet and (b) high street pharmacy.

Mr Philip Dunne: We have made no such assessment. Pharmacies on the pharmaceutical list, and thus eligible to provide National Health Service pharmaceutical services, are required to provide the same essential services and receive the same payment rates based on activity, whether they are internet or high street pharmacies.

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the concentration of high street community pharmacies in different areas of the country; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: 40% of community pharmacies are in a cluster where there are three or more pharmacies within ten minutes’ walk. As part of community pharmacy reforms, we have introduced a Pharmacy Access Scheme to protect pharmacies in areas where there are fewer pharmacies and higher health needs, and to ensure no residents in areas will be left without good access to a community pharmacy.

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans there are to extend the Pharmacy Access Scheme beyond March 2018.

Steve Brine: The future of the Pharmacy Access Scheme beyond March 2018 will be considered as part of negotiations with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, which represents pharmacy contractors in negotiations relating to pharmaceutical remuneration.

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS pharmacies have delivered (a) essential and (b) advanced services in each year since 2007-08 in (i) England and (ii) each local authority area; and if he will provide details of the advanced services delivered by community pharmacies.

Steve Brine: Essential services are available from all community pharmacies, which provide National Health Service pharmaceutical services in England. Community pharmacies can provide the following advanced services, if they meet the necessary requirements: - Medicine Use Review from 2005/06;- Appliance Use Review from 2010/11;- Stoma Appliance Customisation from 2010/11;- New Medicine Service (NMS) from October 2011;- Seasonal Influenza Vaccination from 2015/16; and- NHS urgent medicine supply pilot scheme from December 2016. NHS Digital releases an annual General Pharmaceutical Services publication which provides the data requested. As essential and advanced services are commissioned by the NHS, rather than local authorities, local data is based on primary care trusts until 2012/13 and NHS England Regions from April 2013. The latest data available to 2015/16 can be found at:http://www.content.digital.nhs.uk/pubs/genphasernov16

Prescriptions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to support uptake of the Electronic Prescription Service.

Steve Brine: Uptake is driven by the prescribing and dispensing communities, who realise many of the benefits of electronic prescription service (EPS) within their businesses and have a vested interest in promoting the EPS. They are being supported by the NHS Digital Implementation and Business Change Team who provide support to prescribers and dispensers of the service. The NHS Business Services Authority also have a programme of work to support the uptake of EPS in practices across the country. The other key strand of activity is the future introduction of Phase 4 the point at which all eligible prescriptions can be sent electronically and patients will no longer have to nominate a pharmacy. NHS Digital is also working with other care settings and their system suppliers, e.g. urgent and emergency care, to introduce the benefits of EPS into other areas of the NHS.

Prescriptions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many items have been prescribed by the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in each year since 2005-06; and what the total spend on the EPS has been in each year since 2005-16.

Steve Brine: The total number of items prescribed by the electronic prescription service (EPS) by calendar year is shown in the table below. Calendar YearItems Prescribed by EPSFrom July 20091,217201084,4672011483,81420126,041,620201328,050,6912014107,964,0732015300,927,7872016496,312,923 Electronic transmission of prescription (ETP) allowances paid to community pharmacies in England by financial year are given in the table below.Financial YearETP allowances paid to community pharmacies (£)2009/1025,309,658.852010/1124,706,040.962011/1229,144,101.712012/1331,243,930.182013/1427,836,025.452014/1527,342,329.352015/1627,258,611.10Total192,840,697.60 The information in both tables is based on NHS Business Services Authority data, which in line with their records management policy is only available from 2009/10.

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total number of (a) internet and (b) high street community pharmacies in England has been in each year since 2007-08 in (i) total and (ii) each local authority area.

Steve Brine: NHS Digital releases an annual General Pharmaceutical Services publication which has data on the total number of community pharmacies, providing National Health Service pharmaceutical services in England, including high street pharmacies, as well as the number of wholly distance selling pharmacies, including internet pharmacies. Data for the latter was only collected from 2008/09. As NHS pharmaceutical services are commissioned by the NHS, rather than local authorities, local data is based on primary care trusts until 2012/13 and NHS England Regions from April 2013. The latest release, covering the period 2006/07 to 2015/16, is available at:http://www.content.digital.nhs.uk/pubs/genphasernov16

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the projected costs are for the Pharmacy Access Scheme in each quarter up to March 2018.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the Pharmacy Access Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding was allocated to community pharmacies through the Pharmacy Access Scheme in 2016-17 by local authority area.

Steve Brine: Services under the community pharmacy contractual framework, including the Pharmacy Access Scheme (PhAS), are commissioned and funded by the National Health Service, rather than local authorities. The projected costs for the PhAS in 2016/17 and 2017/18, for December 2016 and then in each quarter up to March 2018, are given below: December 2016January 2017 - March 2017April 2017 - June 2017July 2017 - September 2017October 2017 - December 2017January 2018 - March 2018PhAS (£)3,960,06911,880,2065,812,6695,812,6695,812,6695,812,669PhAS reviews* (£)123,529370,587240,809240,809240,809240,809Total (£)4,083,59812,250,7936,053,4786,053,4786,053,4786,053,478*These figures showing the cost of additional pharmacies being granted the PhAS through the review process are subject to update. They do not include pharmacies operating under local pharmaceutical services contracts, which return to the pharmaceutical list and are eligible for the scheme.The community pharmacy funding package, implemented from 1 December 2016, is delivering significant savings - £113 million in 2016/17 and a further £208 million in 2017/18 – and making an important contribution to the £22 billion NHS efficiency savings. The PhAS is a key element of that funding package to support access where pharmacies are sparsely spread and patients depend on them most.

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total number of repeat prescriptions issued by (a) high street and (b) internet pharmacies has been in each year since 2007 in (i) England and (ii) each local authority area.

Steve Brine: The total number of repeat dispensing prescription items issued by wholly distance selling pharmacies, including internet pharmacies, and other community pharmacies, including those on the high street, for each year since April 2013 in England is detailed in the table below:Time PeriodRepeat Dispensing Prescription Items for Distant Selling PharmaciesRepeat Dispensing Prescription Items for Other Community PharmaciesYearly Total2013 (Apr-Dec 2013)625,15749,222,45049,847,6072014 (Jan-Dec 2014)1,076,06073,769,90974,845,9692015 (Jan-Dec 2015)1,482,94284,411,85385,894,7952016 (Jan-Dec 2016)2,001,32695,730,82097,732,1462017 (Jan-May 2017)930,75342,216,95843,147,711Total6,116,238345,351,990351,468,228The requested data is not provided before 2013 as the NHS Business Services Authority only holds prescription payment data for a period of 60 months, at which point it is destroyed in line with their records management policy. Also this coincides with NHS England becoming responsible for commissioning community pharmacy services from April 2013. As such, data is attached on repeat dispensing prescription items by NHS England local areas, rather than local authority areas.

Pharmacy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the amount of time pharmacists in the community spend on providing direct clinical services, excluding the dispensing of medicines.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department has not made such an assessment. All pharmacies undertaking National Health Service pharmaceutical services are required to provide essential services, which include services in addition to dispensing medicines, such self-care advice and supporting healthy lifestyles. They may also provide advanced services such as the new medicine service and seasonal flu vaccination. The time community pharmacies in practice spend on these individual services will vary between pharmacies and has not been assessed by the Department.

Autism

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which measures set out in the cross-government suicide prevention strategy have been assessed as appropriate for autistic people.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the referral to treatment pathway for autism jointly with learning disabilities set out in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health will allow for mental health difficulties experienced by autistic people with no learning disability.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has made any assessment of the effectiveness of antidepressant medications for autistic people.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what distinction will be made between autism and the co-morbid mental health problems often experienced by autistic people within the referral to treatment pathway for autism set out in the Five-Year Forward View for Mental Health.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The development of the care pathway for autism is a matter for NHS England to determine with partners and stakeholders once a timetable for its production has been finalised later this year. The Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Strategy, which was published in 2012, included key actions to take tailored approaches to meet the mental health of people with specific needs to address their risk of suicide, including people with autism. The strategy was updated in January 2017, and set out ways in which we aim to strengthen delivery of the key areas for action. We have asked local authorities to implement multi-agency suicide prevention strategies by the end of this year, which includes working with local agencies such as health and other statutory services and the voluntary and charitable sector to develop local strategies which take account of people with specific needs. The updated strategy also made a commitment for the National Health Service to take further action to reduce suicides of people in contact with mental health services which would include people on the autistic spectrum who are in contact with services. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published a number of clinical guidelines that recommend pharmacological interventions for mental health conditions, including depression, which are experienced by people with autism. These clinical guidelines represent best practice and we would expect them be taken into account by clinicians when deciding on the most appropriate care for their patients.

Crimes of Violence: Acids

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether hospitals, ambulance staff and paramedics are provided with diphoterine to treat acid burns; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Emergency medical technicians and paramedics operate to the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee Clinical Practice Guidelines 2016. Currently ambulance staff and paramedics are not provided with diphoterine as the Guideline does not refer to its use. The NHS England Clinical Reference Group in Major Trauma and Burns, which includes national experts in the field, is evaluating the evidence to see if a recommendation for the routine use of diphoterine can be supported.

Nurses: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurse training places there are for 2017-18; and what the vacancy rate is for such places, broken down by speciality.

Mr Philip Dunne: The number of new nurse training places being made available by Health Education England (HEE) post 2016-17 will remain broadly consistent with the nurse training places set out in the HEE Commissioning and Investment Plan for 2016-17. HEE will publish its annual workforce plan for 2017-18 shortly. The 2016-17 HEE Commissioning and Investment plan can be accessed on the link below:https://hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Workforce%20Plan%20for%20England%202016-17.pdfIt is not possible to give the vacancy rates for the 2017-18 training places, as students can continue to apply for places until 20 September 2017.

Respiratory System: Medicine

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has spent on respiratory medicines in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The information requested is shown in the table below. Cost of respiratory medicines to the National Health Service, by primary and secondary care, in England from years 2012 to 2016 Primary Care Net Ingredient Cost (£)Secondary Care Cost (£)Total Cost (£)20121,009,505,84039,842,0491,049,347,88920131,020,038,04739,938,9131,059,976,96020141,032,783,04438,983,4201,071,766,46420151,044,951,21138,600,9431,083,552,15420161,034,877,08238,547,8011,073,424,883Source: Prescription Cost Analysis; 2016 QuintilesIMS: Hospital Pharmacy Audit Index These figures do not include costs for treating respiratory infections or cancers, as the medicines required (antibiotics and chemotherapy) are used for other therapy areas and are not specific to respiratory disease. These costs are at list prices and discounts achieved by hospitals and community pharmacy have not been included.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to improve definitions of myalgic encephalomyelitis for diagnosis.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training is provided for doctors to help them treat patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients received NHS treatment for myalgic encephalomyelitis in the last 12 months.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of guidelines on myalgic encephalomyelitis published by health authorities in (a) Canada and (b) other countries.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to provide doctors with up-to-date information on the treatment of patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to update NICE guidelines for the treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Steve Brine: Information on the exact number of patients receiving treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline, ‘Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children estimates that the annual prevalence is approximately 4,000 cases per million of the population.The NICE clinical guideline set outs best practice for clinicians on the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with the condition and supports commissioners to to plan services for local populations. NICE routinely reviews its guidance to ensure it reflects the latest available evidence, including international evidence. In spring 2017, NICE reviewed the CFS/ME guideline to assess whether new research on CCFS/ME would impact on the current guideline recommendations. This included looking at new evidence concerning diagnostic criteria. Having assessed the evidence, NICE published its provisional recommendation not to update the NICE guideline for consultation on 10 July for a period of two weeks. NICE’s final recommendation is expected in October 2017. In terms of training, the General Medical Council sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours that new United Kingdom medical graduates must be able to demonstrate and Royal Medical Colleges, such as the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) set the standards for postgraduate medical education in general practice. General practice is where most patients with CFS/ME are likely to be managed, and the condition is identified as a key area of clinical knowledge in the RCGP Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) content guide. The AKT is a summative assessment of the knowledge base that underpins general practice in the UK within the context of the National Health Service and is a key part of general practitioner’s (GPs) qualifying exams. Once fully qualified, clinicians are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by NICE.The Department has made no assessment has been made of guidelines on CFS/ME published by health authorities in Canada and other countries.

Vaccination

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the rate of complete immunisation is for children under the age of four.

Steve Brine: Public Health England reports information on the rate of complete immunisation for children at 12 months, 24 months and at five years. The most recently published report is the Quarterly vaccination coverage statistics for children aged up to five years in the United Kingdom (COVER programme): January to March 2017 which can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/623860/hpr2317_COVER.pdf

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons his Department is ruling out adding chronic conditions such as cystic fibrosis to the prescription charges exemption list.

Steve Brine: The Department currently has no plans to change the list of medical conditions which provide for exemption from prescription charges because arrangements exist to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. A broad range of prescription charge exemptions are in place, for which someone with a long-term condition may qualify. To support those with greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, prescription prepayment certificates are available. A holder of a 12 month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.

Tobacco

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's policy is on its officials engaging with representatives of the tobacco industry.

Steve Brine: The Department’s policy of engaging with representatives of the tobacco industry is compliant with the requirements of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This treaty includes an obligation on all countries that have ratified the treaty to protect public health policies from the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. Any engagement with the industry needs to be transparent and accountable.

Hearing Impaired: Telephone Services

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that the 101 and 111 services are accessible to people who suffer from deafness by facilitating the use of text by means of a registration form such as with the 999 service.

Mr Philip Dunne: It is important that deaf people have the same access to the NHS111 service as people with hearing. There is a feature that allows deaf callers to register their phones and then report incidents to 999 in text form. Although this works for ambulance dispatch, it does not lend itself to a full telephone triage. The NHS111 service was made available to deaf people via the Text Relay Service when NHS111 was established, with BT Next Generation Text commencing around November 2015. Access to NHS111 has been further improved by the NHS111 British Sign Language (BSL) service, which uses video relay technology to connect patients to interpreters using a web-based client or via the ‘InterpreterNow’ app. The interpreter then makes a conventional phone call into NHS111 and acts as an intermediary between the patient and the NHS111 call handler. Deaf people can access the NHS111 BSL service using a webcam-enabled laptop or computer (via the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk/111) or using a smartphone or tablet via the ‘InterpreterNow’ app.

Maternity Services

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has to act upon the recommendations made by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' report, Each Baby Counts, published in June 2017, to improve maternity care.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government and NHS England are supporting National Health Service maternity services to implement important changes that address the key recommendations in the Each Baby Counts report. We published Safer Maternity Care: next steps towards the national maternity ambition in October last year to achieve the National Maternity Ambition to halve the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries by 2030. This action plan, which feeds into the NHS England-led Maternity Transformation Programme, includes: - an £8 million Maternity Safety Training Fund, which has been shared out to every NHS maternity unit to enable multidisciplinary teams to undertake training on CGT fetal monitoring, obstetric emergency skills and drills, leadership, human factors and team working;- the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle which supports maternity teams by bringing together four key elements of care based on best available evidence and practice in order to help reduce stillbirth rates – these are reducing smoking in pregnancy, risk assessment and surveillance for fetal growth restriction, raising awareness of reduced fetal movement and effective fetal monitoring during labour;- the development of a National Standardised Perinatal Mortality Review Tool that will be available later this year to support maternity and neonatal units to undertake and share learning from standardised, high quality case reviews of every stillbirth and neonatal death; and- consultation on a Rapid Resolution and Redress scheme, which would contribute to reducing severe avoidable birth injuries through improved investigations and learning.In addition, NHS Improvement launched a new Maternal and Neonatal Health Safety Collaborative – a three-year programme to improve clinical practices and reduce variations in outcomes involving every trust, making it one of the largest maternity quality improvement programmes.

Nurses: Oxfordshire

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the relative cost of housing compared with wages in (a) Oxford and (b) Oxfordshire on the ability of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to recruit nursing staff on a starting salary.

Mr Philip Dunne: Recruitment of staff and the overall employment package is a matter for local National Health Service employers. The Government wants to support employers to employ the right number of staff with the right skills to work in our hospitals or in the community. We know the cost of housing is challenging which is why the Government is committed to ensuring that NHS land is used in a way that ensures the best possible services for patients, the best value for taxpayers in freeing additional resources for reinvestment in new facilities and services, and which supports wider housing objectives. This includes freeing surplus NHS land sufficient for 26,000 homes.As part of this, we recognise that in some areas it may be beneficial for NHS organisations to use their surplus land to provide accommodation for their staff. We have been engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to understand better the housing need for NHS staff, and for the first time have started to collect data on where NHS organisations are already using their land in this way. The need for NHS staff accommodation differs across the country, and we are working with the NHS, housing associations, and other partners to explore opportunities for developing local solutions.

Nurses: Oxfordshire

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average starting salary for a nurse is in (a) Oxford city, (b) Oxfordshire and (c) Oxford West and Abingdon constituency.

Mr Philip Dunne: Newly qualified nurses employed under Agenda for Change are placed in pay band 5. The basic annual minimum salary as at 1 April 2017 is £22,128. In addition many nurses work shifts and receive unsocial hours payments for hours worked outside of 6am to 8pm Monday to Friday. For those nurses who do work shifts, the mean payment in 2016/17 was £3,8541. Newly qualified nurses are also eligible to receive seven annual pay increments averaging around 3.8%. Note: 1 Table 3i NHS Staff Earnings Estimates to March 2017 https://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30002

Pregnancy

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that mothers are properly supported following childbirth with their (a) general and (b) mental health.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government is committed to ensuring that mothers are properly supported following childbirth with their general and mental health.We are committed to improving maternity outcomes and experience of care for women and babies, as set out in Safer Maternity Care: next steps towards the national maternity ambition, published in October 2016. This should start before childbirth and the Government is supporting the Our Chance campaign to support women to understand advice about healthy pregnancies and how to act on it.The National Institute for Care and Excellence has published quality standards on postnatal care, which includes the core care and support that every woman, their baby and if appropriate, their partner and family should receive during the postnatal period. This includes recognising women and babies with additional care needs and referring them to specialist services as required.Evidence shows that the six-eight week appointment is a particularly crucial element of postnatal care. Better Births, the report of the National Maternity Review, states that the check should include assessing: - how a woman has made the transition to motherhood, including her mental health;- her recovery from the birth, using direct questions about common morbidities;- longer term health risks for any morbidity identified; and- any further help she might need whether connected with the birth or not; and what advice she might need about future family planning.The Department has invested £365 million from 2015/16 to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services, and NHS England is leading a transformation programme to ensure that by 2020/21 at least 30,000 more women each year are able to access evidence-based specialist mental health care during the perinatal period. This includes work to increase awareness and skills across the workforce, supporting better identification of perinatal mental illness, early intervention and consequently improved recovery rates.

Department of Health: Assets

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in which of the last 10 years his Department has submitted a strategic asset management plan to the Government Property Unit.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department has submitted a strategic asset management plan to the Government Property Unit for 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17.

Department of Health: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 3364 on redundancy, how much of the exit packages detailed in the Annual Report was paid to (a) men and (b) women in (i) 2015-16 and (ii) 2016-17.

Mr Philip Dunne: For the year 2015-16, six women and three men received exit packages. For 2016-17, 337 women and 240 men received exit packages.

Department of Health: Arms Length External Organisations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of new arms-length bodies his Department plans to establish once the UK has left the EU.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not envisage the need to establish new arm’s-length bodies as a result of leaving the European Union.

NHS Professionals: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many bids were received for the contract to run the NHS professionals service.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the contract to run the NHS professionals service was tendered through a framework agreement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department decided to instigate a sale of a majority shareholding in NHS Professionals Ltd in November 2016. The Department received a number of expressions of interest following a successful Open Day and a number of responses to pre-qualification documents from which six bidders were shortlisted. Although the sale process was not subject to procurement regulations; it was advertised by placing a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union to ensure transparency and also that that as many interested parties as possible were aware of the opportunity. In a Written Ministerial Statement on 7 September, the Department announced that NHS Professionals will remain in wholly public ownership. After careful consideration, the Government has concluded that none of the offers received for NHS Professionals through the open, rigorous bidding process reflected the company’s growing potential and improved performance. Since the decision was taken to seek offers, NHS Professionals has significantly increased its performance such that audited profit before tax for the year ended 31 March 2017 was 44% higher than in the previous year. This improvement in financial performance continues to be built upon in the first quarter of the current year. The company’s improved financial and operational performance means it can now invest in improved IT infrastructure, expand its services to the National Health Service and transform into a world-class provider of flexible staff whilst remaining under public ownership – generating further savings for the NHS, all of which will continue to be reinvested in frontline services.

Orkambi

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with NICE on updating its final guidance on the use of Orkambi as a result of the scientific research published by Vertex at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference on 27 October 2016.

Steve Brine: We have had no such discussions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for determining whether its guidance should be updated following the publication of new evidence. NICE published technology appraisal guidance on the use of lumacaftor-ivacaftor (Orkambi) for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in July 2016. NICE plans to review its guidance to determine whether it should be updated in the light of any new evidence in 2019. If significant new evidence comes to light before the scheduled review date, NICE has processes in place to bring forward a review. NICE remains open to a further approach from the company, with new evidence or a revised price. Although there has been recent correspondence between NHS England and the company, NICE has not yet received any fresh proposals from the company.

General Practitioners: Students

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has undertaken a cost-benefit analysis of allowing GP practices to fund tuition fees for medical students who would join that practice on qualification.

Steve Brine: General practitioner practices are independent businesses and as such it would be for them to determine for themselves whether or not they offer such incentives as part of their overall management of their business.

Pigmeat: Hepatitis

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate the Government has made of how much imported pig meat containing hepatitis E has been sold in British supermarkets in each of the last five years; and what steps the Government is taking to reduce the risk of such infection to consumers.

Steve Brine: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not have estimates on how much imported pork meat contaminated with infectious hepatitis E virus (HEV) has been sold in British supermarkets in each of the last five years. The FSA continues to provide advice to consumers about cooking all raw pork and pork product thoroughly and handling them hygienically as this will reduce the risk of illness from harmful foodborne bacteria and viruses like HEV. The FSA is also funding research to address significant knowledge gaps on HEV.

Prescriptions: Exemptions

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) patients were issued with fines by the NHS Business Authority as a result of failure to renew an exemption certificate and (b) of those fines were issued to patients with long-term medical conditions.

Steve Brine: This information is not collected by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). The checks that the NHSBSA undertake confirm whether a patient holds a valid exemption as declared on the reverse of the prescription form. It does not record the reason for a patient not having an exemption in place and neither is a check made as to whether an exemption certificate has previously been held by the patient. The NHSBSA does not know whether the patient being issued a fine has a long term condition. Only information relating to the exemption category declared at the time of collecting the prescription is captured.

Chronic Illnesses: Prescriptions

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to create a lifelong prescription exemption certificate for patients who have long-term medical conditions which will last for life.

Steve Brine: The Government has no plans to create a lifelong prescription exemption certificate for patients with a long-term medical condition. Medical exemption certificates are valid for a period of five years because, although many of the conditions on the list are lifelong, some can resolve over time and the patient’s entitlement should be reviewed by their clinician periodically. For operational ease and to provide simplicity for patients and clinicians, the five year validity period applies to all conditions.

Prescriptions: Exemptions

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many of the fines issued by the NHS Business Authority in 2016-17 have been paid.

Steve Brine: In 2016/17 the NHS Business Services Authority issued 1 million fines with a total value of £85.7 million. Approximately 18% of the total value requested was recovered during this period which amounts to £15.5 million.

Arthritis

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to improve the (a) quality and (b) availability of information on the use of public services by people with arthritis.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure people with musculoskeletal conditions have timely access to health and care services.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people with suspected rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis who received diagnosis and management according to the NICE Quality Standard in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The total number and proportion of people with suspected rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis who were diagnosed and managed according to the National Institute for Care and Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard in each of the last five years is not available.The National Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit report, commissioned on behalf of NHS England by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) assesses the quality of care by specialist rheumatology services in England and Wales using criteria derived from sources such as the NICE Quality Standard on rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The audit includes patients with: RA, psoriatic arthritis; spondyloarthropathy with peripheral arthritis; and undifferentiated arthritis. Key findings from the second annual report of the audit published in July 2016, found that:- 95% of patients agreed that they had a good experience of care, up from 78% in year one of the audit;- 20% people with suspected persistent synovitis affecting the small joints of the hands or feet, or more than one joint, are referred to a rheumatology service within three working days of presentation (Quality Standard 1) and this is essentially unchanged from year one of the audit;- 37% of patients were seen by a rheumatology service within three weeks of referral (Quality Standard 2) and this is essentially unchanged from year one of the audit; and- 68% of patients received disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs within six weeks of referral (NICE Quality Standard 3), up from 53% in year one of the audit.The audit is an important tool that helps commissioners and providers to scrutinise local services, highlight variation and drive improvement. The audit report makes a range of recommendations, including that local services improve training and awareness and amongst general practitioners (GP). Furthermore, in addition to the RA audit, the National Hip Fracture Audit, also commissioned by HQIP, is another way in which services for patients with Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are assessed in terms of timeliness and quality. Reports from both of the arthritis audits and the most recent hip fracture audit can be found at the following links:www.hqip.org.uk/resources/national-clinical-audit-for-rheumatoid-and-early-and-inflammatory-arthritis-annual-report-2015/www.hqip.org.uk/resources/rheumatoid-and-early-inflammatory-arthritis-2016/www.hqip.org.uk/resources/national-hip-fracture-database-nhfd-annual-report-2016/Additional information on the on the use of public services by people with long term conditions, including MSK conditions, can be found in surveys including the GP patient Survey and the Hospital Inpatient survey. Increasing the availability of data on National Health Service services and outcomes is important in driving improvement and delivering patient choice which is why it is identified in the Mandate as a key objective for the NHS to achieve.

Hospitals: Non-domestic Rates

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the difference in eligibility to pay non-domestic rates between private and NHS hospitals.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effect of business rates on NHS trusts.

Mr Philip Dunne: National Health Service properties, like almost all other buildings occupied by public bodies, have been subject to non-domestic rates since they were introduced. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has had no such discussions with my Rt. hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. No estimate has been made of the difference in eligibility to pay non-domestic rates between private and NHS hospitals. The Government introduced a £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme provides support for those properties which face an increase in rates as a result of the 2017 revaluation, and applies equally to public bodies such as the NHS.

Colorectal Cancer

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the capacity of the NHS to meet demand for diagnostic tests for bowel cancer.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that there is sufficient resource and capacity to meet waiting time standards for colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy for suspected lower gastrointestinal cancer.

Steve Brine: NHS England and NHS Improvement regional teams are leading work to ensure that cancer waiting times standards are met. This involves continually assessing demand and capacity for diagnostic tests. In December 2016, NHS England announced that £200 million would be made available to Cancer Alliances over the next two years (2017/18 and 2018/19) to support delivery, including of early diagnosis. Cancer Alliances will be the driving force to deliver transformation of cancer services locally bringing together senior leaders from the region to effectively make decisions on the management of resources. Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group carried out a procurement of local diagnostic services to enable wider provision in the community of colonoscopy, flexi-sigmoidoscopy and endoscopy services.The majority of patients are being diagnosed and treated promptly against a backdrop of more people being referred and diagnosed than ever before. In 2016/17 the National Health Service carried out 21.4 million diagnostic tests, 7 million more than in 2010.

Hospitals: Smoking

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to extend the smoking ban to include NHS hospital premises.

Steve Brine: The Department supports the implementation of smokefree policies across all hospitals in England. The Government published the Tobacco Control Plan on 18 July 2017, which outlines the ambition of achieving a smoke free National Health Service estate by 2020.

Medicine: Education

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of extra UK medical school places that will be made available to international medical students after the removal of the cap on the number of such places.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that additional medical student places are fairly allocated to students from (a) the UK and (b) other EU countries.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government has announced a historic expansion in domestic supply of the medical workforce by funding an additional 1,500 medical school places in England available to domestic students from 2018-19. In addition, from 2019-20 English universities will not be limited in the number of international students they can recruit on a full fee paying basis. For medical school intake targets, the only distinction that is made is between home or European Union students and those from outside the EU. As such, the additional 1,500 medical school places the Government is funding will be available to students from across the United Kingdom and all European Economic Area countries subject to the usual residency requirements.

Medicine: Education

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the Service Increment for Teaching funding allocation process is subject to the market forces factor; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that there is not an excessive regional disparity in allocations of that funding between London and non-London medical schools.

Mr Philip Dunne: The funding for training placements in secondary care is allocated to placement providers by Health Education England using a tariff payment mechanism. These tariffs are calculated on the basis of average costs and do not take into account some features of cost that are likely to vary across the country. The tariffs are therefore adjusted by the Market Forces Factor in order to compensate for the cost differences of providing training placements in different parts of the country.

Lyme Disease

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to encourage take-up of the Lyme Disease Action e-learning course amongst primary care practitioners.

Steve Brine: The e-learning course on Lyme disease co-developed by Lyme Disease Action and the Royal College of General Practitioners is one of a number of resources that exist to support primary care practitioners’ awareness. Primary care practitioners are responsible for their own programme of continuing professional development as required for revalidation. The Government does not endorse one educational opportunity over another.Public Health England provides information on Lyme disease and tick awareness to the medical profession and holds regular medical training days.NHS Choices publishes information on its website to raise awareness of Lyme disease to encourage timely medical consultations because early diagnosis and treatment is the best way of limiting complications from infection.

Ambulance Services: Blackpool

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times ambulances on (a) blue light response and (b) non-blue light response had to take an alternative route as a result of traffic disruption on the A583 in July 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally.

Ambulance Services: Blackpool

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what reports his Department has received of incidents of unreasonable behaviour towards North West Ambulance Service staff at or outside Cuadrilla Resources' shale gas site on the A583.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally.

Health Professions: Grants

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the statement from the Royal College of Nursing of 4 March 2017 on the number of nurses and healthcare assistants who applied for hardship grants in 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) reported that 700 nurses and health care assistants applied for hardship grants from the RCN in 2016 and 25% of grants were to staff who were full time employees. These are very small numbers compared with the 435,000 membership the RCN reports. Nursing remains an attractive career with access to a package of employment benefits that are significantly more generous than those typically available in the private sector. This includes an excellent pension and competitive maternity, sickness and leave entitlement. For the mean annual earnings per nurse, the latest figures of April 2016 to March 2017‎ taken from the NHS staff earnings survey carried out by NHS Digital were £31,3411. Notes:1 https://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30002

Grenfell Tower: Mental Health Services

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of mental health support, trauma counselling and bereavement counselling for the survivors of Grenfell Tower and their families; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department is working closely with those responsible for co-ordinating the Grenfell Tower Mental Health response. The National Health Service has had staff on the ground since day one, helping the people affected first with the immediate physical health emergency, and, as time has moved on, with developing psychological health and wellbeing needs. This was phase 1 of our response plan. We are now in phase 2. Phase 1 comprised treating the physical symptoms, making sure patients are general practitioner (GP) registered and know where to go, putting resilient systems in place for when the psychological impact kicks in, planning ahead and ensuring adequate primary care and mental health resource is in place, and ensuring all NHS organisations are united and efficiently coordinated. Phase 2 comprises implementing a ‘screen and treat’ programme to proactively contact people affected by the fire, beginning with those who also have a long-term health condition, and assess the psychological impact the fire has had on them. The first 1,200 screenings have begun. If a patient shows signs of trauma such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms they will be referred on to a mental health professional or appropriate wellbeing service. If they are not showing signs of trauma at this time, the GP will follow up with them again in a suitable period of time.

Health Services: Social Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to make non-legislative changes to remove barriers to the integration of care; and if he will make statement.

Steve Brine: The Government has both non-legislative and legislative barriers to integration under review including those related to workforce, information sharing and funding. We are continuously building the evidence-base, sharing best practice and using feedback from local areas to inform changes that will reduce barriers and further join up care.

Agricultural Products: Safety

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is the Government's policy to seek to continue membership of the Rapid Alert System for food and feed when the UK leaves the EU.

Steve Brine: The Government is preparing to negotiate our exit from the European Union, and our new relationship with the EU should aim for the freest possible trade in goods and services between the United Kingdom and the EU.The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed is important currently in enabling the management of food and feed safety risks, providing early alerts of health or food contamination issues across the EU. At present this enables the UK to respond quickly to serious risks to public health relating to food and animal feed. The Government is considering the best approach for the management of notification of food and feed safety risks once we have left the EU. It will be our priority to maintain the UK’s high standards of food and feed safety.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were detained on a Short Term Detention Order under the Mental Health Act 1983 in each year since 2010; and what the ages were of those people.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital collects and regularly published publically available data on detention under the Mental Health Act. However information is not available in the format requested.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 in each year since 2010 broken down for each section of the Act under which they were held.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The data collected on detentions under the Mental Health Act are not collected by person, therefore the information is not possible to provide in the format requested.

Biliary Cholangitis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis in each of the last five years by age.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS: Buildings

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to sign off the business case for NHS England's Project Phoenix; and if he will publish that business case.

Mr Philip Dunne: Project Phoenix, the proposal to establish a new Public Private Partnership model for NHS infrastructure planning and investment, has being developed by Community Health Partnerships Ltd at the request of the Department. A business case for taking forward Project Phoenix is currently under development by the Department. Subject to its approval the business case will be made publicly available.

E. coli: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 5841, on E. coli: Dorset, from which reports the information given is based; and if he will place copies of those reports in the Library.

Steve Brine: Public Health England is due to publish an outbreak report within two weeks. In addition, an article is also scheduled to be published in Eurosurveillance on 7 September 2017.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether a decision has been made on what sensitivity threshold the faecal immunochemical test will be set at when it is introduced into the bowel cancer screening programme; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: No final decision has been taken yet on the sensitivity threshold for the faecal immunochemical test on its introduction to the bowel cancer screening programme from April 2018. NHS England is working with partners in Public Health England and the Department to inform this decision and is working through its regional teams to assess capacity in relation to a number of thresholds. The Department is confirming the process for decision making, which is likely to conclude this autumn.

Hospitals: Broadband

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the provision of broadband for NHS patients in wards in Greater Manchester hospitals.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not hold any information on the provision of broadband to National Health Service patients in wards in Greater Manchester hospitals. However, NHS Digital ran a survey in March 2017, finding that, in 10 out of the 14 trusts in Greater Manchester who responded to the survey, five had Wi-Fi coverage of 70% or more on their wards and publicly accessible places and two had 100% coverage.

Hospitals: Broadband

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's policy is towards expanding broadband provision for patients in NHS wards.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital is leading on a rollout of Wi-Fi to hospitals as part of the Personalised Health and Care 2020 programme.

Genetics: Screening

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the reasons are for funding for genome testing being centralised in Cambridge; and what the tendering process was for receipt of that funding.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England currently commissions genetic testing for National Health Service patients in England from 23 genetic laboratories. NHS England has no knowledge of the centralisation of funding for all NHS genetic testing in Cambridge that is being referred to. Whole genome sequencing is being carried out in Cambridge by Illumina for the 100,000 Genomes Project.

Social Services: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his planned consultation on social care will include consultations with (a) disabled people and (b) disability charities.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We will work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population, bringing forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support.The Government has already invested an additional £2 billion to put social care on a more stable footing and alleviate short-term pressures across the health and care system. However, further reform is required to ensure that the system is prepared to meet the challenges of the increasing numbers of over 75s.To address these questions, the Government will work with partners at all levels, including those who use services and who work to provide care, to bring forward proposals for public consultation. The Government will consult on options to encourage a wider debate.The Government wants to hear a range of views from members of the public, representative groups, commissioners, providers, those using services and carers as it shapes its thinking. This is why we have set out our intention to consult and will set out more detail shortly.

Social Services: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of social care in supporting working-age disabled people into employment; and what plans he has for improvements to that care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We have made no recent assessment. Local authorities provide a range of services to enable people to participate more fully in society including support to gain or maintain employment. Local authorities are responsible for deciding what services to provide to people with eligible care and support needs in accordance with local priorities and the needs of the communities to which they are accountable. For people with a learning disability or autism who are known to adult social care services, or those in contact with secondary mental health services, local authorities are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to test an approach to delivering supported employment, with payments based on employment outcomes.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the recommended level of stipend is to be paid to members of governing bodies of clinical commissioning groups.

Steve Brine: It is the responsibility of each clinical commissioning group’s Remuneration Committee to set appropriate pay rates for members of their governing bodies in accordance with the Clinical Commissioning Group Constitution and NHS England guidance.1 Note: 1https://www.england.nhs.uk/resources/resources-for-ccgs/#governance

NHS Walk-in Centres: Closures

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of closing Eastham walk-in centre on the volume of patients at the accident and emergency department at Arrowe Park Hospital.

Mr Philip Dunne: A new ‘front door streaming’ service has been in place at the emergency department at Arrowe Park Hospital since 4 September 2017. This new service is expected to ensure that people with serious or life threatening conditions are seen and treated more quickly in the emergency department to improve the safety and quality of services and overall performance. To support this, Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group has increased the number of clinical staff working at the Arrowe Park Walk-in Centre by relocating staff from the former Eastham Clinic Walk-in Centre.

Department of Health: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has received from sub-lets on its estate in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department has not sub-let any of its estate since 2010.

Nurses: Training

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to remove the cap on nurse training; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: On 1 August 2017 the Government changed the funding system for pre-registration nurse training from National Health Service-funded tuition and bursaries to the standard student support system. NHS tuition and bursaries are paid from general taxation and therefore placed an artificial cap on the number of training places available. This change means we have moved away from centrally imposed number controls and financial limitations and therefore the artificial cap has been removed. We expect that these reforms will enable universities to offer up to an additional 10,000 training places by 2020, for nurses, midwives and allied health profession students.

Mental Illness: Prescription Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the proportion of patients on anti-psychotic medications who do not always take their medication due to the cost of prescriptions; and what consideration his Department has given to making such prescriptions free of charge.

Steve Brine: No assessment has been made. The Department currently has no plans to change the list of medical conditions which provide for exemption from prescription charges because arrangements exist to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. However, a broad range of prescription charge exemptions are in place, for which someone who has been prescribed anti-psychotic medication may qualify. To support those with greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, prescription prepayment certificates are available. A holder of a 12 month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.

General Practitioners: Buildings

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of premises in which NHS primary care is provided are privately owned and rented to GPs; and what the total amount of rent paid each year is for those premises.

Steve Brine: Information about which general practitioner practices are owned, rented or leased is not routinely collected by NHS England. Total investment in general practice premises for 2016/17 is due for publication by NHS Digital on 20 September, and will include all rent reimbursement and other premises-related costs for general practice in England. The recent independent report by Sir Robert Naylor highlighted the need to improve data on the primary care estate. The Government will set out its response to the report’s recommendations shortly.

NHS Professionals

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent progress has been made on the sale of NHS Professionals.

Mr Philip Dunne: In a Written Ministerial Statement on 7 September, the Department announced that NHS Professionals will remain in wholly public ownership. After careful consideration, the Government has concluded that none of the offers received for NHS Professionals through the open, rigorous bidding process conducted reflected the company’s growing potential and improved performance. Since the decision was taken to seek offers, NHS Professionals has significantly increased its performance such that audited profit before tax for the year ended 31 March 2017 was 44% higher than in the previous year. This improvement in financial performance continues to be built upon in the first quarter of the current year. The company’s improved financial and operational performance means it can now invest in improved IT infrastructure, expand its services to the National Health Service and transform into a world-class provider of flexible staff whilst remaining under public ownership – generating further savings for the NHS, all of which will continue to be reinvested in frontline services.

General Practitioners: Recruitment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made to meet the target of 5,000 additional GPs by 2020.

Steve Brine: NHS England and Health Education England (HEE) are working together with the profession to increase the general practitioner (GP) workforce. This includes measures to boost recruitment into general practice, address the reasons why GPs are leaving the profession, and encourage GPs to return to practice. HEE has implemented a range of improvements to increase the number of GP training places to 3,250 each year. In 2016 3,019 new starters were recruited to training posts – this is the highest number of GP trainees ever. In August 2017, NHS England announced plans to accelerate its international recruitment programme, following a series of successful regional pilots. It aims to recruit at least 2,000 GPs from overseas over the next three years. To improve retention, NHS England has launched the GP Career Plus Scheme, to test a range of ways to offer flexibility and support to experienced GPs at risk of leaving general practice. This is in addition to the new GP Retention Scheme which offers funding to support doctors who can only work a limited number of sessions in general practice. Finally, in October 2016, NHS England announced a package of improvements to the GP Induction and Refresher Scheme to make it easier and quicker for qualified doctors to return to general practice.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Certificates

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department (a) has issued any guidance and (b) has imposed a requirement for private medical companies running GP surgeries to provide supporting letters for benefit claimants on request.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) restrictions and (b) guidance are in place on charges made by GP surgeries to patients for copies of test results or correspondence with hospitals.

Steve Brine: General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors who hold contracts with NHS England to provide primary medical services for the National Health Service. Under the terms of their contract, GPs are required to provide certain medical reports or complete certain forms free of charge to their registered patients. These certificates are those for which a medical report is required by other legislation for example, the Social Security Administration Act, and which are required for the purposes of ensuring public funds are allocated correctly. The requirement to provide these reports free of charge to patients remains, regardless of the way the practice is managed. Outside of contractual requirements, GPs also provide a variety of other services which successive governments have regarded as private matters between the patient and the GP providing these services. In such cases, decisions on whether to charge a fee and the level of the fee charged are at the GP’s discretion. The British Medical Association produces guidance on appropriate fee levels depending on workload. However, it is for individual GPs to decide whether to charge their patients and, if so, the level of any fee.

Dental Services: Children

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost per child to his Department is of treating under 18 year olds for total dental clearances.

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to his Department was of treating under 18 year olds for total dental clearances in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held in the format requested.

Hospitals: Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals have diabetic out-patient support and care programmes.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not held centrally.

Maternity Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what emergency support is in place for pregnant women affected by temporary closures of NHS maternity units.

Mr Philip Dunne: Contingency planning for temporary closures is managed at a regional level and each region will have clear procedures in place to manage such situations. In the event of an emergency situation, the Unit affected by planned closure is required to inform the ambulance services who will divert women to the next closest maternity unit.

Health Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects (a) Barts NHS Health Trust, (b) Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and (c) St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to submit data to NHS England on the number of incomplete referral to treatment pathways.

Mr Philip Dunne: National Health Service trusts that are not currently submitting referral to treatment data are required to regularly update NHS England and NHS Improvement on their plans to return to regular reporting. Based on the latest information and intelligence received; Barts Health NHS Trust expect to return to reporting within the current financial year and Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust expect to commence national reporting from December 2017 onwards. St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is currently undertaking a significant exercise in preparation for commencing reporting. Once concluded, a timeline for submission of referral to treatment pathways will be presented.

Hospitals: Non-domestic Rates

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of business rates to be paid by NHS hospitals in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

Mr Philip Dunne: There has been no such assessment. National Health Service properties, like almost all other buildings occupied by public bodies, have been subject to non-domestic rates since they were introduced. The independent Valuation Office Agency is responsible for valuations and setting rateable values for business, each NHS organisation is responsible for ensuring their current rating assessments and can challenge them if they believe they are incorrect. The Government introduced a £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme which provides support for those properties which face an increase in rates as a result of the 2017 revaluation, and applies equally to public bodies such as the NHS.

Health Services: Standards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England has made an assessment of the level of financial resource required for the NHS to meet the 18 week referral to treatment target.

Mr Philip Dunne: A number of factors impact on meeting the 18 week referral to treatment target, including levels of demand, productivity and resources. NHS England has set these out in their Next Steps on the National Health Service Five Year Forward View. There is a significant programme of work underway focussed on these areas.

Diabetes: Clinics

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have visited specialist diabetic clinics in the last 12 months.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not held centrally.

Dental Services: Children

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) pre-school, (b) primary school and (c) secondary school children have undergone total dental clearances in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: The information regarding the number of total dental clearances for each year since 2010 undergone by pre-school, primary school and secondary school children is not collected. Public Health England does collect information on the number of children and young people undergoing hospital dental extractions aged zero to four, five to nine, 10 to 14 and 15 to 19 although it does not collect information on how many teeth are removed per procedure. The figures are available for each financial year from 2011/12 to 2015/16 and are available at the following link:http://www.nwph.net/dentalhealth/Extractions.aspx

Hospitals: Fire Prevention

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on (a) hospitals, (b) GP surgeries and (c) walk in centres which are (i) clad in flammable substances and (ii) fitted with sprinklers.

Mr Philip Dunne: As part of the Government’s Building Safety Programme to identify buildings of concern following the Grenfell Tower incident, actions have been implemented across National Health Service trusts to assess the risks of similar issues and to ensure that the NHS estate is safe. All NHS trusts have now reviewed their estate, and where cladding similar to that used at Grenfell Tower has been identified, it has been tested by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). Where the cladding has failed the BRE testing, mitigation action has been implemented by relevant trusts. NHS Improvement is monitoring these trusts on behalf of the Department. Fire safety checks of NHS facilities, including hospitals, are regularly undertaken in line with legislation and guidance. Each hospital also has a tailored fire safety plan, which includes assessment of the provision of fire safety precautions. Such precautions may include the use of sprinklers. NHS England has advised that it does not hold data on general practitioner (GP) practices in relation to physical infrastructure. However, the GP contract specifies a number of requirements that contractors must meet in respect of the premises used for the provision of services, such as meeting Statutory Standards on Fire Precautions and having adequate procedures in place to ensure the continuing safety of practice premises and the suitability of those premises for delivering primary medical services. As walk in centres could be located in either NHS trusts or GP-operated premises, separate data about them is not available.

Hospitals: Broadband

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the provision of bedside television and bedside telephones in NHS hospitals on the installation of broadband services for NHS patients.

Mr Philip Dunne: The National Health Service Wi-Fi programme will meet the commitment to provide free Wi-Fi for patients across the NHS estate. As part of this work, the programme has liaised with providers of hospital bedside entertainment services; and we are advised that these services will not impact on hospitals’ provision of free Wi-Fi services.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical commissioning groups in England follow in full the guidance provided to them by NICE on the provision of IVF treatment.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected centrally.

Health Professions

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of Allied Health Professionals in leadership roles in the NHS; and if he will meet representatives of the Allied Health Professions Federation to discuss this matter.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from the Allied Health Professions Federation in response to his consultation on leadership in the NHS; and what his response was to these representations.

Mr Philip Dunne: We do not currently collect data on the number of allied health professionals occupying leadership positions in the National Health Service. However we understand that around half of NHS trust Chief Executives have a clinical background and that a small number are allied health professionals. The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management conducted a review of the opportunities and barriers facing clinicians who wish to move in to senior operational leadership roles in the NHS. The review has been submitted to the Department and a response will be published in due course. We would be happy to meet with the Allied Health Professions Federation to discuss this matter.

NHS: Cybercrime

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to improve the security of NHS passwords since the WannaCry cyber attack in May 2017.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The global WannaCry cyber attack in May 2017 has reaffirmed the potential for cyber incidents to impact directly on patient care and the need for our health and care system to act decisively to minimise the impact on essential front-line services. Weak passwords were not a vulnerability exploited in the WannaCry attack. Passwords are one element of ensuring the cyber security of National Health Service organisations, and improving them is part of a wider set of standards as introduced in the Government’s response Your Data: Better Security, Better Choice, Better Care published on 12 July 2017. The Government’s response accepts the 10 Data Security Standards recommended by the National Data Guardian. A copy of the response is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-responds-on-cyber-security-and-data The NHS contract has been changed so that NHS organisations are formally required to adopt data security standards including security training for staff and annual reviews of processes.NHS Digital is supporting local organisations to strengthen cyber security by sharing best practice across the health and care system and carrying out on-site assessments.

NHS Walk-in Centres: Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many walk-in clinics are in operation; and how many such clinics offer specialist diabetic care.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Red Tape Initiative

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2017 to Question 3012, on the Red Tape Initiative, how many (a) items of correspondence and (b) other forms of contact his Department has exchanged with the Red Tape Initiative project since 20 April 2017.

Margot James: Since 20 April 2017, officials in the Department have had four e-mail exchanges and held one meeting with the Red Tape Initiative project.

Red Tape Initiative

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost to date is of the Red Tape Initiative.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times the Advisory Board of the Red Tape Initiative has met since that initiative was established; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The Red Tape Initiative is an independent organisation for which the Government has no responsibility and which receives no Government funding.

Research: Science

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the total revenue generated from the investment by small businesses in the life sciences sector in research and development for 2016-17.

Joseph Johnson: The Department does not hold information on of the total revenue generated from the investment by small businesses in the life sciences sector in research and development for 2016-17.At over 5,000 companies, small businesses comprise 93% of the life sciences sector. The Government recognises the importance of small businesses operating in the sector and the valuable contribution that they make.To avoid overburdening businesses there is no mandate for companies to submit information about investments they make in R&D. In many instances it would be difficult to quantify the revenue directly attributable to R&D undertaken rather than by other business activities. Also due to the long timescales involved in R&D any revenue generated by R&D would be generated in a different year from when the R&D was performed.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator to cover support for small businesses and farmers that supply supermarkets.

Margot James: The Department is in the process of analysing the responses to the Call for Evidence to extend the Groceries Code Adjudicator remit. We will publish the outcome to the Call for Evidence, jointly with Defra, in the autumn.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish its response to its call for evidence on extending the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

Margot James: We are planning to publish the Government response to the Call for Evidence on extending the Groceries Code Adjudicator’s remit in the autumn.

Domestic Visits: Glasgow East

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2017 to Question 102, on which date (a) he and (b) a Minister of his Department last visited a company in Scotland which is headquartered specifically in Glasgow East constituency.

Margot James: As set out in my answer of 30 June 2017 to Question 102, the BEIS Ministerial Team has undertaken several visits across Scotland this year, as part of the Department’s stakeholder engagement for an Industrial Strategy that works for the whole of the UK and drives growth right across the country.This included hosting a reception at Edinburgh University on 11 April, which was attended by over 100 businesses from all over Scotland. This was followed by visits in the region.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Arms Length External Organisations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of new arms-length bodies his Department plans to establish once the UK has left the EU.

Margot James: The number of new arms-length bodies that will be required by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy remains subject to a final assessment and is in part dependent on the outcome of negotiations with the EU.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Assets

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in which of the last 10 years his Department has submitted a strategic asset management plan to the Government Property Unit.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy was created in July 2016. A strategic asset management plan is being developed for the new Department.The Government Property Unit commissions Strategic Asset Management Plans from Departments on an annual basis.Executive summaries of these plans will be published for the first time in autumn 2017.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many applications his Department has received for (a) internal loans and (b) secondments from civil servants in each year since 2010.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) does not hold information on internal loans centrally.In respect of secondments, BEIS has not received any applications for secondments from civil servants as secondments in to BEIS are only available to non-civil servants.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of requests for consultancy and temporary staff for his Department were approved via a resource board.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not have a resource board. Certain procurements for consultancy and temporary staff valued over £10k are required to have a procurement business case that requires approval by the Director of Human Resources amongst others.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of consultancy assignments procured by his Department are paid at a daily rate.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) does not hold this information centrally although we believe the majority of our consultancy assignments to be paid at a daily rate. BEIS consultancy service requirements are sourced normally via the Crown Commercial Service ConsultancyOne framework which provides for charging based upon discounted supplier day rates.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether requests for consultancy and temporary staff for his Department must be accompanied by a formal business case.

Margot James: Major projects and programmes require formal business cases in accordance with HMT rules. Certain procurements for consultancy and temporary staff valued over £10k arising from these projects and programmes are required to have a formal approved (procurement) business case.

Energy: Meters

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what mechanisms Ofgem has to enforce its code of practice on removal of gas and electric meters.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what mechanisms Ofgem has to enforce the careful removal, handling and return of meters.

Richard Harrington: Energy suppliers are required by their licence to be party to the industry governance groups that oversee the relevant codes of practice (for gas: Meter Asset Managers’ Code of Practice (MAMCoP) and electricity: Meter Operators Code of Practice Agreement (MOCOPA)). The industry groups oversee compliance and can escalate issues to Ofgem, who can apply their usual range of enforcement powers for a licence breach. In addition, companies are required to comply with the conditions set out in the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which covers metering equipment.

Energy: Meters

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what obligation the energy industry has to remove, recycle and dispose of legacy gas and electric meters as part of the smart meter roll-out.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his policy that as many as possible legacy gas and electric meters replaced during the smart meter roll-out should be recycled.

Richard Harrington: Existing obligations in relation to the removal, recycling and disposal of traditional gas and electricity meters apply for the smart meter rollout. Companies have responsibilities under the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. The WEEE Directive implements the principle of “extended producer responsibility”. Under this principle, producers are required to take financial responsibility for the environmental impact of the products that they place on the market, specifically when those products become waste. It seeks to reduce the amount of such waste going to landfill by encouraging separate collection and subsequent treatment, re-use, recovery, recycling and environmentally sound disposal. Large suppliers involved in the smart meter rollout have developed their own strategies for the safe recycling or disposal of gas and electricity meters. Gas and electricity meters are refurbished and refitted where possible or ultimately recycled in line with manufacturer guidelines.

Company Law

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 42 of the Government's paper Corporate Governance Reform published on 29 August 2017, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to require companies to disclose their corporate governance arrangements.

Margot James: Work is underway to bring forward legislative proposals as soon as possible to require companies to disclose their corporate governance arrangements.

Business: Pay

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 1.6 of the Government's paper Corporate Governance Reform published on 29 August 2017, how many and what proportion of the respondents that supported an annual binding vote on remuneration were trade unions.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 1.7 of the Government's paper Corporate Governance Reform published on 29 August 2017, how many and what proportion of the respondents that supported options (iii) and (iv) were trade unions.

Margot James: Of the 375 respondents to the Corporate Governance Reform green paper consultation, 25 supported option (iii) which would require or encourage quoted company pay policies to set an upper threshold for total annual pay and ensure a binding vote where annual remuneration exceeds that threshold. None of the trade unions responding to the consultation supported this option. Of the 375 respondents to the consultation, 26 supported option (iv) which would require the existing binding vote on executive pay policies to be held more frequently than every three years (or give shareholders the option of bringing forward an earlier binding vote). One trade union and one trade union representative council supported option (iv) representing 8% of the respondents who supported this option. Of the 375 respondents to the consultation, 76 supported an annual binding shareholder vote on some or all elements of executive remuneration. This included two trade unions and one trade union representative council, comprising 4% of the respondents who supported this option.

Directors: Staff

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 4 of the Government's paper Corporate Governance Reform published on 29 August 2017, whether he has assessed the potential effect of a designated non-executive director on strengthening the voice of employee influence.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's paper Corporate Governance Reform published on 29 August 2017, what plans he has to require companies to accept recommendations from an employee advisory council.

Margot James: The Government’s green paper on corporate governance reform sought views on the option of designating a non-executive director to ensure that voices of employees and other interested groups are heard at board level. Responses to the consultation suggested that this could be an effective option if appropriately resourced and supported, and care taken to ensure that the responsibilities associated with the role are clearly identified. It will be for individual boardrooms to determine how they can engage most effectively with employees and meet their duty to have regard to employee interests. The Government intends to introduce secondary legislation to require all companies of significant size (private as well as public) to explain how their directors comply with the requirements of section 172 to have regard to employee and other interests.

Energy: Billing

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if it is the Government's policy to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce an energy price cap.

Margot James: The detriment to retail energy customers on poor value standard variable tariffs, which was identified by the Competition and Markets Authority as averaging £1.4bn a year, must be addressed.My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to the Chief Executive of Ofgem asking him to advise on what action the regulator intends to take to safeguard consumers on the poorest value tariffs and to consider the future of standard variable tariffs. The Secretary of State will consider further action in the light of Ofgem’s proposals and remains prepared to legislate if necessary.

Helium

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure a secure supply of helium for use in the British science, manufacturing and defence industries.

Claire Perry: We appreciate that helium is a key resource for some businesses and science laboratories and is critical for a number of products that are of importance, for example, in both the health and defence sectors and the need to manage the risks. We continually monitor the supply situation.

Domestic Appliances: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Trading Standards Scotland on tackling counterfeit electrical goods being imported into Scotland.

Joseph Johnson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not held discussions with Trading Standards Scotland on tackling counterfeit electrical goods being imported into Scotland.The Intellectual Property Office has recently provided funding to support training courses for 70 Trading Standards officers in Scotland and works closely with the Scottish Anti-Illicit Trade Group to reduce the importation and sale of counterfeit goods including electrical items.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the letter of 6 April 2017 from Jon Thompson, Chief Executive HM Revenue and Customs, to the right hon. Member for North Norfolk, how many of the care sector employers involved in the 183 cases between 1 February 2015 and 30 September 2016 of non-compliance with the national minimum wage have been named and shamed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Of the 183 care sector employers found not to have complied with the National Minimum Wage regulations, 74 met the minimum criteria of the naming scheme and have been named to date. This number will change as cases are considered as part of future naming rounds. Under the scheme, employers whose arrears do not exceed the £100 threshold are not eligible for naming. In addition, cases opened by HMRC before the revised scheme came into effect on 1 October 2013 are not eligible for naming under the current criteria. Information on the naming scheme policy is published here - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/632656/national-minimum-wage-enforcement-policy-july-2017.pdf:

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of care sector companies that do not pay the national minimum wage have been named and shamed by his Department since it began publicly identifying non-compliant employers; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Since the introduction of the revised National Minimum Wage naming scheme in 2013, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has named over 1,200 employers; over 70 of those employers were from the care sector. The vast majority of employers (over 95%) who meet the minimum criteria for naming under the scheme are ultimately named. Information on the naming scheme policy is published here - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/632656/national-minimum-wage-enforcement-policy-july-2017.pdf

Carbon Emissions: Housing

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government's Clean Growth Plan will include measures to reduce carbon emissions from homes.

Claire Perry: We are currently working on our ambitious and robust Clean Growth Strategy, which will include proposals for reducing carbon emissions for a wide-range of sectors, including homes. It will be published shortly.

Directors: Females

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on increasing the representation of women on company boards.

Margot James: Since 2011, the number of women on FTSE 350 boards has more than doubled from 289 (9.5% of positions) to 744 (24.4%). There are now only 7 all-male boards, down from 152 in 2011. We are going further and are supporting the work of the business-led Hampton-Alexander Review and its target of 33% women on FTSE 350 boards by 2020.

Living Wage

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the national living wage on the number of low skilled jobs since the introduction of that wage.

Margot James: Independent experts at the Low Pay Commission monitor the effects of the National Living Wage (NLW) on behalf of BEIS. Their autumn 2016 report found; “official data do not yet show clear evidence of NLW effects on employment or hours… Our analysis suggests that the group of workers most likely paid at the NLW (women, ethnic minorities, migrants, disabled people, those with no qualifications, 25-29 year olds, 60-64 year olds) had a relatively strong performance in the labour market in the year to June 2016.” 1 The Low Pay Commission will continue to monitor the effects of the NLW and will report again later this year. 1 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575634/10583-LPC-National_Living_Wage_WEB.pdf

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will publish a timetable for the announcement of its decision on the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.

Richard Harrington: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Driverless Vehicles

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the financial benefit to the public purse of the introduction of autonomous vehicles.

Claire Perry: The potential social and economic benefits of connected and autonomous vehicle technology are significant, and securing these benefits along with the tremendous industrial opportunities associated with developing and producing them is central to the Government’s strategy.The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles has commissioned research to better understand the industrial opportunity.Published on the 7th September 2017, the research estimates that the market for connected and autonomous vehicles is estimated to be worth £28bn in the UK in 2035.

Takeovers: Science

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a public interest test for takeovers of major UK companies supporting the UK's science base.

Margot James: The Government has said it will bring forward reforms to the approach to the ownership and control of critical infrastructure to ensure that the full implications of foreign ownership are scrutinised for the purposes of national security. The Government will publish the outcome of this review in due course.

Consumers: Protection

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to protect and strengthen  consumer rights when the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: The UK has a strong history of protecting consumer rights, and this will continue after we leave the EU. UK consumer protections that are based on EU law will be retained through the EU Withdrawal Bill. This means that when buying from traders based in the UK British consumers will be able to rely on the same rights they have now. The way consumer protections apply internationally in future (for example when purchasing goods online from an EU trader) is a matter for negotiations. We are carefully considering how best to cooperate on these issues with our EU partners after our exit.

Directors: Females

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase the representation of women on company boards.

Margot James: The Government is committed to seeing greater diversity on company boards. My department has supported and promoted various initiatives to promote gender diversity on boards and across the public sector. These include: the Lord Davies Review, which established a business-led voluntary approach and has seen the proportion of women on FTSE 350 boards increase from 9.5% in 2011 to 24.4% in September 2017;the subsequent Hampton-Alexander Review, which has set a target of 33% women on FTSE 350 boards by 2020;in conjunction with UK Government Investments, actively supporting the Future Boards Scheme, a business-led initiative to help talented, senior women get board-level development opportunities and gain the experience they need to successfully apply for board positions;a new Business Diversity and Inclusion Group to improve the coordination of diversity initiatives and provide a clear and coherent message on what is expected of the business community; as well aswork promoting boardroom diversity in the public and third sectors. All of these various initiatives will contribute to our continued efforts to ensure gender-balanced representation and that boardrooms reflect their workforces and wider society.

Energy: Competition

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent meetings he has had with the Big Six energy companies; and what measures his Department plans to being forward to ensure the energy market is a competitive marketplace.

Margot James: BEIS Ministers and officials regularly meet energy supply companies to discuss a wide range of issues. We are working with Ofgem to make switching supplier quicker and easier for consumers.

Energy: Prices

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 78 of the publication entitled Queen's Speech 2017: background briefing notes, if his Department will estimate the number of vulnerable energy customers on the poorest value tariffs who will be covered by extending energy price protection; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to the Chief Executive of Ofgem asking him to advise on what action the regulator intends to take to safeguard consumers on the poorest value tariffs and to consider the future of standard variable tariffs. The Secretary of State will consider Ofgem’s proposals and their potential impact on vulnerable consumers, in deciding on how to proceed.

Fracking: Harassment

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with the Home Office on preventing intimidation of people legally involved in fracking.

Richard Harrington: Peaceful protest is a vital part of a democratic society. People must be free to gather together and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law. But protestors' rights must be balanced with the rights of others to go about their business without fear of intimidation or serious disruption to the community. Rights to peaceful protest do not extend to violent or threatening behaviour and the police have powers to deal with any such acts. BEIS and the Home Office have regular discussions across a wide range of topics of mutual interest, including protest activity related to fracking.

Conditions of Employment

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of whether all employees should have rights to parental leave, holiday pay, full sick pay and guaranteed hours.

Margot James: I made an oral statement to the House on 11 July 2017 to announce the publication of the Matthew Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices. The Review looked at ways to ensure that the regulatory framework surrounding employment, and the support Government provides to businesses and workers, was keeping pace with changes in the labour market and the economy. The report is comprehensive and detailed and will require detailed, careful thought and further consultation. It is important that we take action where we need to. This Government will give the report the careful consideration it deserves and will respond in full later this year.

Sales: Misrepresentation: Artificial Intelligence

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of artificial intelligence on consumer mis-selling.

Margot James: The Government has not made a specific assessment of the effect of artificial intelligence on consumer mis-selling.

District Heating: Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what regulations apply to district heating schemes to protect consumers.

Richard Harrington: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

AVEVA: Schneider Electric

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the UK economy of the proposed takeover of Aveva by Schneider Electric.

Margot James: This is a commercial matter for the parties concerned.

Chief Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the list of departmental chief scientific advisers was last updated.

Joseph Johnson: The list of Chief Scientific Advisers was last updated in February 2017. The Government Office for Science is in the process of updating the list to capture recent changes. The updates which will be made to the published list shortly are set out below.DepartmentPrevious positionNew TextDepartment for International TradeCurrently no CSARecruitingDepartment for Work and PensionsPui Ling LiTrevor HuddlestonHer Majesty’s TreasuryVacantPhilip DuffyHome OfficeBernard SilvermanJohn AstonMinistry of DefenceVacantHugh Durrant-Whyte

Iron and Steel: Procurement

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the announcement made by his Department on 3 April 2016, New public sector boost for UK steel, when he plans to announce the list of approved steel suppliers; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Government is working hard to make sure that UK producers of steel have the best possible chance of competing for and winning contracts. In April 2016, we announced a range of measures to support the industry including new public procurement guidelines to help UK steel suppliers compete effectively with international suppliers, publishing details of upcoming steel requirements for national infrastructure projects, and setting up an approved list of steel producers to provide steel for government contracts. Following consultation, we concluded with industry agreement that a list of suppliers would not achieve the desired outcome of levelling the playing field.We published a steel pipeline in December 2016 which shows how the Government plans to use three million tonnes of steel until 2020 on infrastructure projects such as High Speed 2 (HS2), the construction of Hinkley Point, and the maintenance and upgrading of the UK’s motorway network. We plan to publish the pipeline annually.

Offshore Industry: North Sea

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's press release of 30 August 2017, UK Government committed to maximising economic opportunity in North Sea, what plans he has to maximise the economic opportunity in the North Sea.

Richard Harrington: The oil and gas industry is important to the UK’s energy security, economy and jobs. Government remains committed to maximising economic recovery of the UK Continental Shelf and we are continuing to create the right environment though a stable and supportive package to allow business, enterprise and jobs to flourish. In recent years we have provided £2.3bn package of fiscal supports, have implemented all of the Wood Review recommendations and established the Oil and Gas Authority as a strong, independent regulator focused on maximising economic recovery of the UK Continental Shelf. We will continue to work with the sector to build on the UK Government support through our modern Industrial Strategy.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Females

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of the civil servants and advisors working on the industrial strategy are women.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

Navy: Recruitment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the shortfall was for the recruitment of reserve and regular officers and ratings in the Royal Navy (a) surface fleet, (b) Fleet Air Arm, (c) Royal Fleet Auxiliary in the last 12 months.

Mark Lancaster: Recruitment information is recorded by financial year (FY) not calendar year, and therefore the following information is provided for FY 2016-17.At the end of FY 2016-17, the Royal Navy's actual intake of Regulars into untrained strength for General Service and the Fleet Air Arm was 1,950 against a target of 2,350For the Maritime Reserves (which consists of the Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Marines Reserve), I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Sir Michael Fallon) on 8 November 2016 (HCWS248). At the end of FY 2016-17, the Maritime Reserves Trained Strength was 2,560.At the end of FY 2016-17, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's actual intake into untrained strength was 160 against a target of 250. Notes:1. Intake target information is derived from unpublished management information. Targets are internally set and are subject to constant change and review.2. Actual Intake of RN Regulars comprises a mix of those joining from civilian life or from within the Armed Forces. Figures here may differ from other published intake statistics, which exclude movements within the Regular Forces.3. Due to differences in methodologies and definitions, recruitment targets and intake figures are not perfectly comparable. However intake figures should be considered to be an appropriate and fair proxy for assessing recruitment performance at a high level.4. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.



HCWS248 - Future Reserves 2020 Update
(Word Document, 14.09 KB)

RAF Northolt

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of whether any (a) military or (b) civil aeronautical regulations are currently being breached at RAF Northolt.

Harriett Baldwin: RAF Northolt underwent a routine audit by the Military Aviation Authority during April to May 2017 during which the Civil Aviation Authority were also present as observers. No significant negative or non-compliancy findings were made against the station.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the risk to local buildings from larger commercial aircraft using RAF Northolt.

Harriett Baldwin: There are no plans to increase the size of Business Aviation aircraft using RAF Northolt which will continue to be accepted under the existing strict terms and conditions in place.The risk to buildings near to RAF Northolt is managed by strict adherence to safeguarding regulations which determine the size and height of buildings that can be built in the vicinity of the station including approach and departure paths. This protects both aircraft and those on the ground. The regulations are outlined in "The town and country planning (safeguarded aerodromes, technical sites and military explosives storage areas) direction 2002" and the "Manual of Aerodrome Design and Safeguarding".

Army: Graduates

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new Army recruits who joined the Army since January 2017 held a degree level qualification on entry.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new Army recruits who joined the Army since January 2017 held A-level qualifications on entry.

Mark Lancaster: The tables below show the number new recruits between 1 January and 31 August 2017 with a recorded degree level qualification or A levels. Candidates with A levels and degree level qualifications may show in both tables. New Recruits with Recorded Degree level qualificationsRegularReserveOfficerSoldierOfficerSoldier340220120380 New Recruits with Recorded A LevelsRegularReserveOfficerSoldierOfficerSoldier380460120440  Education qualifications are not captured unless they are required as a Mandatory Academic Qualification for the role or declared by the candidate as additional information. The actual number of individuals holding qualifications will therefore be higher.   Notes New recruits have been defined as candidates who arrived at Phase 1 Training or in the case of Reserve Officers those who passed Army Officer Selection Board Main Board. Reserves figures are for Group A Reserves. These are Reserves who are recruited through the National Recruiting Centre and are available for employment on specific tasks at home and overseas. These questions have been answered using information held in recruiting data. They are single service estimates and are not official statistics. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Army: Social Class

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new Army recruits who joined the Army since January 2017 were from the lowest socio-economic groups.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have applied to join the Army from the lowest three socio-economic groups since the commencement of the This is Belonging campaign.

Mark Lancaster: The Army do not hold this information in the format requested.

Army: Young People

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new Army recruits who joined the Army since January 2017 were aged between 16 and 24.

Mark Lancaster: The table below shows the number of Army recruits from 01 January 2017 to 30 June 2017 aged between 16 and 24 on enlistment.   Regular Reserve FR20  Officer  Other  Rank Recruits Aged 16-24 years 280  2,810  560   Notes The figures are for Regular Army and FR20 Reserves and therefore exclude Gurkhas and Non-FR20 Reserve Populations. The FR20 population consists of Group A Army Reserves, some Sponsored Reserves and those personnel serving on Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) contracts who were previously Army Reservists. Rounding: Figures have been rounded to 10 to limit disclosure; numbers ending in ‘5’ have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts.

Army: GCSE

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new Army recruits who joined the Army since January 2017 held five GCSEs at Grade A* to C.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people who have applied to join the Army since the commencement of the This is Belonging campaign have achieved five GCSEs with grades C and above.

Mark Lancaster: Information on the number of GCSEs held by new Army recruits and applicants to join the Army is not held. Only educational qualifications which are mandatory for the role applied for are captured.

Aircraft Carriers: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has received representations from Aircraft Carrier Alliance prime contractors on utilising a similar procurement model as that to be used to build the planned Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fleet Solid Support ships.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 September 2017, to Question 6193.



6193 - WQnA extract on Warships Procurement
(Word Document, 12.47 KB)

EU Defence Policy

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of when the UK will end its codified role in EU military unification after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Lancaster: The UK's commitment to European security is unwavering, and will remain so after we leave the EU. As the Article 50 letter made clear, we seek a deep and special security relationship with the EU. The precise nature of that future partnership is a matter for the negotiations.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date Watchkeeper is expected to achieve full operating capability.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current total financial approval is for the development and delivery of the Watchkeeper to full operating capacity.

Harriett Baldwin: Initial Operating Capability for Watchkeeper was met in August 2014 and it deployed on Operations in Afghanistan. Full operating capability is forecast to be achieved in 2018. The current total financial approval for development and delivery of Watchkeeper is £927 million.

Yemen: Military Intervention

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department last carried out an assessment of (a) whether the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has been targeting civilians and (b) that coalition's level of respect for and compliance with international humanitarian law; and if he will place in the Library copies of the documentation used in those assessments.

Sir Michael Fallon: We continue to keep the situation in Yemen under close scrutiny based on the most up-to-date information and analysis available, providing regular advice to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to inform their ongoing assessment of Saudi Arabian compliance with international humanitarian law.

Ministry of Defence: Arms Length External Organisations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of new arms-length bodies his Department plans to establish once the UK has left the EU.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence currently has no plans to establish any new arms-length bodies as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Myanmar: Armed Forces

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of training of military and security forces in Myanmar by the UK on the promotion of (a) human rights, (b) democracy and (c) the rule of law.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence does not provide combat training to the Burmese military, but has been delivering educational training since 2014. This training, which focuses on ethics and governance as well as human rights; democracy and the rule of law, is on a small scale and meaningful change will take time. The UK is committed to supporting the democratic transition, which means exposing the military to how modern militaries operate in a democracy. These courses are a step in that long term objective.

Ministry of Defence: Myanmar

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent in Myanmar in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence opened a Defence Section in Burma in December 2013, and has delivered a programme of educational training to the Burmese military since 2014. We do not provide combat training to the Burmese military. As at 7 September 2017, our records show that the Ministry of Defence has spent the following sums on educational training programmes for the Burmese military since 2014:Financial Year 2014-15 - £279,005.00Financial Year 2015-16 - £78,955.00Financial Year 2016-17 - £305,725.00Financial Year 2017-18 - £18,500.00

General Service Medal: Mali

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will consider the merits of awarding the General Service Medal to British forces personnel who served in Mali in 2013.

Mark Lancaster: UK Armed Forces personnel who completed the appropriate service in Mali in 2013 are entitled to the General Service Medal 2008 with the West Africa clasp.

Korea: Security

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation on the Korean peninsula.

Mark Lancaster: North Korea's continued path of reckless, belligerent and illegal actions, including their sixth nuclear test on 3 September, have created a dangerously unstable security situation on the Korean peninsula. We have been clear on our condemnation of this illegal and threatening behaviour. The UK focus is on working with allies and partners to increase pressure on North Korea to find a diplomatic solution to the unacceptable situation.To this end, we continue to urge North Korea to end its illegal pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile capability and return to dialogue with the international community. We will continue to monitor and assess events.

Army: Training

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what facilities are available to Army Training for Fighting In Built Up Areas.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The training facilities available to the Army for fighting in built-up areas are as follows:GarelochheadDalbeatieMagilligan Training CentreBallykinler Training CentreCatterickWarcopAltcarSwynnertonBeckinghamNestcliffeSennybridge Training AreaCaerwentTregantleMinleyStanford Training AreaBramleyLongmoorHytheLyddPirbrightCopehill Down VillageImber VillageNew Zealand Farm

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has sought independent legal opinion on its authority to lift the cap on the number of flight movements permitted at RAF Northolt to 20,000 annually; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: No. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 6 September 2017 to Question 6451.



6451 - WQnA extract on RAF Northolt Aviation
(Word Document, 13.34 KB)

Armed Forces: Proscribed Organisations

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) investigations and (b) prosecutions of armed forces personnel for membership of proscribed or prohibited organisations there have been by service in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is aware that four members of the Army were recently arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000; namely on suspicion of being a member of a proscribed organisation (National Action) contrary to Section 11 of the Terrorism Act.Investigations into alleged acts of terrorism are normally dealt with by the Home Office Police Forces.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Rented Housing: Fire Prevention

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to require the uploading of records to a centrally-monitored database of fire safety inspections and refurbishments of properties owned by (a) local authorities, (b) housing associations and (c) private landlords.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 04 July 2017



Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the Government established a Building Safety Programme to ensure that buildings over 18 metres are safe.We have collected information on high rise buildings, which have Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding. That information is published on the building safety pages at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/building-safety-programmeIn addition, we are liaising with local authorities to identify all private residential blocks in their areas which have ACM and that the owners of these buildings have interim measures put in place and a plan for any necessary remedial work put in place, and to provide the Department with data on this.

Public Buildings: Fire Prevention

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2017 to Question 588, what (a) number and (b) proportion of public sector buildings where people are (i) required and (ii) not required to sleep overnight have had their cladding tested; and when he expects all such buildings in each group to have been tested.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 04 July 2017



On 5 September 2017, we published consolidated advice for building owners following large-scale testing which can be viewed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-update-and-consolidated-advice-for-building-owners-following-large-scale-testingThe results include a category for public buildings, which includes hospitals and schools. This shows that there were 16 buildings in England with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM), all of which have cladding systems which the Expert Panel advise are unlikely to meet current Building Regulations guidance and therefore present fire hazards on buildings over 18 metres. All government departments have been assessing their estate for high-rise buildings with ACM cladding.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will list the cases where samples of exterior cladding have failed the combustibility test commissioned by his Department; and in which of those cases the cladding (a) needs to be removed and (b) can remain in place.

Alok Sharma: Across England there are 173 social housing buildings that are over 18 metres tall and clad with some form of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM). Systems that failed the Government’s large scale cladding tests are in use on 165. Cladding systems that passed the tests are in use on eight social housing towers. As each test was completed the Government contacted the owners of all affected buildings to share detailed advice drawn up by the Independent Expert Advisory Panel. This covers steps to ensure the safety of residents including, where necessary, removal of cladding.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, by what date he will ensure that all 530 tower blocks that have been identified as having aluminium composite material cladding will be tested.

Alok Sharma: The estimate of 530 given on 3 July came from early work that looked at social housing clad in any sort of aluminium in England. We have since been in regular contact with every local authority and housing association in the country to identify all social housing tower blocks above 18 meters that are clad specifically in aluminium composite material (ACM). Based on work to date, we know there are 173 high rise social housing buildings with ACM cladding in England and that 165 of these buildings have cladding systems that present fire hazards. We are not currently aware of any other ACM clad social housing blocks that are awaiting testing.

High Rise Flats: Databases

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has a central database of all residential tower blocks, including information by (a) type of tower block owner, (b) local authority and (c) constituency.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 10 July 2017



The Department has compiled information on buildings of interest, including all residential tower blocks over 18 metres owned by local authorities and housing associations. We continue to strengthen this information, working closely with tower block owners. Information on the constituency is recorded where independent Building Research Establishment tests have been failed. Local authorities have been asked to contact relevant constituency MPs.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what number and proportion of housing cladding samples have been tested within 24 hours of receipt.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many housing cladding samples of all types the Government has received; and how many such samples have been tested to date.

Alok Sharma: As of 10 September 2017 the Building Research Establishment had received 1523 samples to be tested under the Government’s screening programme.All 538 samples which were Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding have been tested and landlords informed of the result. The remaining samples were not ACM and therefore outside the scope of the Government’s screening programme.

Supported Housing

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to introduce an implement the recommendations on Supported Housing Allowance published by the Communities and Local Government Committee and the Work and Pensions Committee in its joint report Future of Supported Housing, HC867 of Session 2016-17.

Mr Marcus Jones: Developing a workable and sustainable funding model for supported housing is a priority for the Government. We will set out further details on our plans in the autumn. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government wrote to Clive Betts, chair of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, on 16 August about our plans to respond to this report.

Buildings: Safety

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent meetings he has had with the (a) Chartered Institute of Building and (b) Construction Industry Council to discuss building safety.

Alok Sharma: The Department is working with an industry response group on the work which may need to be done to make buildings safe following the Grenfell Tower fire. The Construction Industry Council, which is the representative forum for professional bodies in the construction industry, including the Chartered Institute of Building, is represented on the industry response group.

Buildings: Safety

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many prosecutions have been initiated by local authorities over the last 10 years against contractors' failure to abide by enforcement actions in contravention of building regulations pursuant to the Buildings Act 1984.

Alok Sharma: Local authority building control bodies usually seek to ensure compliance with Building Regulations' requirements by providing advice and guidance to those carrying out the work. Local authorities also have powers to prosecute for breaches of the Building Regulations in the Magistrates' Court. My Department does not collect statistics on the use of these powers.

Affordable Housing

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support institutional investment into the affordable rent to buy housing tenure.

Alok Sharma: Our Housing White Paper encourages institutional investors to invest more widely in housing, both private and affordable housing. The Government is offering a clear and stable long-term framework for investment and is encouraging lenders and investors to back developers and social landlords to build more homes of all tenures.

Affordable Housing

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the revised definition of affordable housing in the National Planning Policy Framework will ensure that privately funded affordable rent to buy housing products are included within the definition in addition to the Government's rent to buy programme.

Alok Sharma: The Government consulted in the housing White Paper Fixing Our Broken Housing Market on a revised national planning policy definition of affordable housing. Consultation closed on 2 May and we are analysing responses. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, we envisage affordable rent to buy housing, where it meets the criteria in this definition and whether privately or publicly funded, would be included in the definition of affordable housing.

Affordable Housing

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the White Paper, Fixing our broken housing market, what privately funded affordable rent to buy housing products will count towards the (a) minimum 10 per cent affordable home ownership units on new housing sites and (b) requirement for new affordable home ownership products on Starter Homes Land Fund sites.

Alok Sharma: Subject to the outcome of the White Paper consultation, we envisage that affordable rent to buy housing which meets the criteria set out in the Paper, would count towards the proposed minimum 10 per cent affordable home ownership units and affordable home ownership products on starter homes land fund sites. The proposed affordable housing definition includes intermediate housing that is provided for sale and rent at a cost above social rent, but below market levels, and can include rent to buy housing.

Commonhold and Leasehold

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what areas of concern to residential leaseholders and commonholders his Department is investigating; what plans he has to address those areas of concern; and what steps he is taking to work with leaseholders' groups and charities to resolve their concerns.

Alok Sharma: The Government's Housing White Paper 'Fixing the Broken Housing Market' highlighted we would "take action to promote transparency and fairness for the growing number of leaseholders". On 25 July the Government published two consultation documents relating to reforming leasehold. We are determined to rectify abusive practices within leasehold. The Department has invited leaseholder groups, charities and other stakeholders with an interest in leasehold reform to respond to the consultation and make their views known.

Leasehold: Forfeiture

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether policy on law and practice relating to forfeiture of residential leaseholds has been transferred to his Department.

Alok Sharma: The policy for forfeiture of residential leaseholds remains with the Ministry of Justice and has not moved to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Letting Agents: Fees and Charges

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the Government's response to its consultation on the abolition of letting agents fee; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: We received more than 4,700 responses to the consultation on banning letting agent fees charged to tenants. We are currently analysing responses and will publish a Government response shortly.

Business: Floods

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to replace EU solidarity funds which support businesses affected by flooding.

Jake Berry: The European Union Solidarity Fund retrospectively reimburses Member States affected by major natural disasters for 2.5 per cent to 6 per cent of the costs incurred depending on the scale of the damage. Under EU rules, the fund can only be used to reimburse public sector costs of responding to emergencies and subsequent recovery, so cannot be paid directly to individual households or businesses. Member States can apply to the European Commission for this funding but must meet the conditions placed upon them by the European Commission to receive it.

Fire Regulations

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 4446, on what date work began on simplifying the fire safety guidance relating to Building Regulations Approved Document B.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 07 September 2017



In 2012, prior to the recommendations made by the Coroner into the Lakanal House fire, research was undertaken into fire safety issues as a first step to simplifying Approved Document B. This was followed by a study of users views of Approved Document B, commissioned in Summer 2015, as well as work to prepare a version of the document in a new, more user friendly style.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on identifying and addressing issues in social housing referred to in the Prime Minister's statement on the Grenfell Tower inquiry terms of reference of 15 August 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Rented Housing

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 5844, if he will commission an update of the 2012 estimate of the Audit Commission on the extent of tenancy fraud in the social housing sector and whether it is higher or lower as a result of Government initiatives.

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 5844, what benefits resulted from the provision of £19 million to local authorities tackle tenancy fraud.

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 5843, how many of the defendants proceeded against in 2016 were resident in London; and what steps his Department is taking to encourage greater use of the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013.

Alok Sharma: This Government is committed to supporting landlords to tackle the small minority of social tenants who, by cheating the system, deprive those in need of a social home.That is why we supported and implemented the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013 (‘the 2013 Act’), which came into force on 15 September 2013. The Act increases the deterrent to tenants considering cheating the system, allows those who do cheat to be detected more easily and punished more severely, and encourages social landlords to take a more proactive approach to tackling fraud in their stock.It is also why, between 2011 and 2015, we provided £19 million of funding: to help local authorities, working in partnership with other social landlords, to tackle social housing fraud; and provided funding to support the Chartered Institute of Housing to provide hands-on practical advice to landlords on which policies and procedures work best.The Audit Commission’s 2014 and final Protecting the Public Purse report found that the number of social homes recovered from tenancy fraudsters in 2013/14 had increased by 15 per cent over the previous year to 3,030. The 2016 Protecting the Public Purse, now compiled and published by TEICCAF, reported that in 2015/16 there were 2,700 investigations of social housing fraud generating an estimated £50,200,000 worth of savings across the country. The national average of properties recovered per authority during that period was 34.We have no plans currently to commission an estimate of the extent of tenancy fraud in social housing. We will, however, continue to keep the implementation of the 2013 Act under review.We do not hold information on the residence of defendants proceeded against for offences under the 2013 Act.

High Rise Flats: Safety

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of tower blocks over 30 metres high which are (a) fire safe and (b) unsafe.

Alok Sharma: We have asked owners of buildings over 18 metres (which is the height at which Building Regulations for tall buildings apply) with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding to submit samples to the Building Research Establishment for screening to establish whether the materials submitted are of limited combustibility. Where samples do not meet the limited combustibility test we are also collecting information on what insulation materials have been used.Summary advice published on 5 September (available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-update-and-consolidated-advice-for-building-owners-following-large-scale-testing) sets out the results of screening tests and the seven large-scale system tests conducted over the summer, including the number of buildings tested.Local authorities have been asked to ensure that all residential blocks in their areas with ACM have been identified, interim measures put in place and any necessary remedial work undertaken, and to provide the department with data on this.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what total amount of funding has been requested from central government by local authorities, housing associations and other organisations responsible for the management of high-rise residential accommodation for remedial work since the Grenfell Tower fire.

Alok Sharma: We are working with social landlords on a case by case basis to explore whether there is the possibility of the removal of financial restrictions to support essential fire safety work being undertaken. As most authorities have not finalised the likely costs, it is not possible to give an overall figure at this stage.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many councils have made inquiries to the Government about financial assistance for remedial work on high-rise residential buildings in their area since the Grenfell Tower fire.

Alok Sharma: To date we have been contacted by 28 local authority areas, either directly or via Members of the House on behalf of authorities. We are dealing with each local authority on a case by case basis in order to establish whether there is a need for assistance.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many residential units were granted planning permission in each financial year since 2000-01.

Alok Sharma: The time series in the attached table details the number of units granted full residential planning permissions between Q2 2007 and Q2 2017.Units granted residential planning permission are recorded when a residential development site receives:detailed residential planning permission; orapproval of reserved matters.The figures exclude elderly people’s homes, hostels and student accommodation. They include mixed use developments (commercial and residential) involving more than ten residential units. They are for England only.Other details:Units from different phases of a single residential development site are included in these figures only when planning permission is obtained for that phase.To avoid double counting units on residential development sites with planning permission are excluded where the residential development site has already received a planning permission within the previous twelve months. Only the units from the most recent planning permission are included.Where multiple planning permissions are given to a residential development site in the same quarter, only the most recent planning permission is included for the purpose of counting units with permission. The Department does not hold data on the number of units granted full residential planning permission prior to Q2 2007. 



Planning permission time series as of Q1 2017
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.6 KB)

Revenue Support Grant

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it remains his policy to phase out the revenue support grant by 2020.

Mr Marcus Jones: In 2016-17 we offered local authorities a 4-year settlement through to 2020. This offer was accepted by 97 per cent of councils. Further support would be considered as part of a spending review.

Non-domestic Rates

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to conduct a full review of the business rates system.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government will set out its plans for a review of business rates in due course.

Non-domestic Rates

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of businesses eligible for business rates transitional relief have received that relief in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department does not hold information about the number of properties in receipt of transitional relief.A £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme is providing support for the minority of businesses who face increases at the 2017 revaluation. Transitional relief is applied automatically to bills by local authorities.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent progress has been made on rehousing survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Alok Sharma: Our priority is to get everyone from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk whose homes were lost in the fire permanently rehoused as soon as possible. But it's important to get this right and ensure residents have choice over their housing options.My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State, reported on recent progress in his statement to the House on 5 September.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has set aside for remedial work in response to the Grenfell Tower fire; and whether such funding is additional to existing departmental allocations.

Alok Sharma: As we confirmed in our letter to local authorities on 31 July, the Government is willing to consider the removal of financial restrictions to enable local authorities to fund essential fire safety works.If a housing association has concerns about its ability to meet the cost of essential works, it must contact the Social Housing Regulator. The Regulator has written to housing associations to reiterate this message.

Scotland Office

Free Movement of People

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Scottish hospitality sector on the effect of restricted freedom of movement after the UK leaves the EU.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers regularly meet with representatives of the sector to listen, exchange views and address concerns and will continue to do so to ensure the sector can take full advantage of the new opportunities that Brexit will bring.

Scotland Office: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 3978, what the differences were in the advertisements aimed at the different genders.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 3978, what age ranges were targeted by his social media spending.

David Mundell: Social media activity which ran in March 2017 reached all adults in Scotland, male and female. Independent research revealed that women in Scotland are less aware of the work and responsibilities held by UK Government and are interested in finding out more. With that in mind, the Scotland Office also ran Childcare Choices activity, which was promoted to women aged 18-35, and Scotland’s two governments working together, which was promoted to women aged 18-60.

Scotland Office: Publicity

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department spent on advertising, marketing and external communications in 2016-17.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office did not spend any budget on television, radio, national or local newspaper, online or other types of advertising in the financial year 2016-17. £15,955.65 was spent on social media advertising. The Scotland Office spent £506.22 on design and print to support the UK Government’s attendance at the Royal Highland Show in 2016. The creation of animated digital content is carried out in-house by Scotland Office staff at no additional cost.

Citizens Advice Scotland

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when Ministers in his Department last met Citizens Advice Scotland; what was discussed at that meeting; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: Ministers and officials regularly meet with a wide range of stakeholders on a variety of issues. The Government publishes a list of all ministerial meetings with external bodies on departmental business on a quarterly basis.

Women against State Pension Inequality

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he last met representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.

David Mundell: Ministers and officials regularly meet with a wide range of stakeholders on a variety of issues. The Government publishes a list of all ministerial meetings with external bodies on departmental business on a quarterly basis.

Domestic Visits: Glasgow East

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2017 to Question 98, on which dates (a) he and (b) a Minister of his Department last attended an official engagement in Glasgow which was specifically in Glasgow East constituency.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers travel throughout Scotland and meet with stakeholders to discuss a wide variety of issues on a regular basis. This includes the Glasgow area where I and Scotland Office Ministers have undertaken many engagements in an official capacity.

Scotland Office: Travel

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department spent on (a) air, (b) rail and (c) taxi travel in 2016-17.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office spend on a) air travel, b) rail travel and c) taxi travel in 2016-17 are shown below. Mode of transportCostAir Travel£194,176Rail Travel£79,478Taxi Travel£24,279

Scotland Office: Arms Length External Organisations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the number of new arms-length bodies his Department plans to establish once the UK has left the EU.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has no plans to establish any new arms-length bodies.

Scotland Office: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether requests for consultancy and temporary staff for the his Department must be accompanied by a formal business case.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office do not currently have any temporary staff or consultants. Any such requests for consultancy or temporary staff would require a business case which would be subject to formal approval by the Senior Leadership Team.

Scotland Office: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of consultancy assignments procured by his Department are paid at a daily rate.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not have any consultancy assignments.

Scotland Office: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many applications his Department has received for (a) internal loans and (b) secondments from civil servants in each year since 2010.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. Those that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government, who remain the employers. No information is held on the number of applications received for internal loans or secondments from Civil Servants since 2010.

Scotland Office: Assets

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, in which of the last 10 years his Department has submitted a strategic asset management plan to the Government Property Unit.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office is a small government department with limited property assets. As such, the department has not been commissioned to prepare a Strategic Asset Management Plan. Information about the department’s property interests is available in the Scotland Office Annual Report and Accounts and recorded on the Government Property Unit's property database (e-PIMS).

Scotland Office: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of requests for consultancy and temporary staff for his Department were approved via a resource board.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office do not currently have any temporary staff or consultants. Any such requests for consultancy or temporary staff would require formal approval by the Scotland Office Senior Leadership Team.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Electronic Equipment

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Scottish Government on tackling the importing of counterfeit electrical goods into Scotland.

David Mundell: I have had a range of discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Scottish Government ministers. UK bodies including the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and HMRC work closely with Police Scotland, Trading Standards, the Scottish Anti-Illicit Trade Group, and industry partners across Scotland, to reduce the importation and sale of all types of counterfeits, including electrical goods. There is close collaboration between law enforcement bodies based at the Scottish Crime Campus at Gartcosh, and more widely, to tackle this threat. For example, the IPO has recently provided funding to support training courses for 70 Trading Standards officers in Scotland. The Intellectual Property Crime Group publishes an annual report into intellectual property crime, including the sale of counterfeit goods in the UK. The latest report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-ip-crime-report-2015-to-2016

Scotland Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the names are of his Department's special advisers; and what the annual employment costs of those advisers are.

David Mundell: Details of special advisers employed in the Scotland Office and their salaries is published online. The latest release is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579892/List_of_special_advisers_in_post_as_at_21_December_2016.pdf. An update will be published in due course.

Urban Areas: Scotland

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent progress has been made to conclude the heads of agreement with Clackmannanshire Council on the Stirling city region deal.

David Mundell: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Ochil and South Perthshire on 6 September 2017, UIN 6224.

Department for International Trade

Ceramics: EU Action

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications of the outcome of the European Commission investigation R650 on the kaolin and ball clay industry.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ceramics: EU Action

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications of the outcome of the European Commission investigation R650 on UK ceramic tile manufacturers.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ceramics: EU Action

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the expiry review of Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 917/2011, what his Department's policy is on maintaining anti-dumping duties on ceramic floor and wall tiles imported from China.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign Investment in UK

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans he has to ensure that each nation and region can take advantage of the opportunities for trade and inward investment after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade (DIT) already promotes trade and investment in support of all regions and nations of the UK. In 2016/17, Northern Ireland secured 34 foreign direct investment projects, creating 1,622 jobs and safeguarding 950 more, and DIT will continue to work closely with the Devolved Administrations to support businesses across the UK.

Biofuels: Antidumping Duties

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will seek to retain current EU countervailing duties on biodiesel imported from the US after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: Currently, a number of trade remedy measures are being applied by the EU, some of which affect UK industry. The Government is looking into this in detail and will bring forward proposals shortly. The Government is aiming to maintain continuity for businesses as we exit from the EU.

Department for Transport

Air Traffic Control

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish his Department's new airspace plan.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is now considering the responses to the airspace consultation and we plan to publish our response in the autumn.

Railways: South West

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government intends to respond formally to the Peninsula Rail Task Force rail improvement plan submitted in 2016.

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to publish a response to the Peninsula Rail Task Force rail improvement plan submitted in 2016.

Paul Maynard: The Government does not propose to publish a formal response to the Peninsula Rail Task Force (PRTF) report at the present time as we continue to engage with the PRTF and other interested parties as the planning for Network Rail’s work programme for the period starting in April 2019 and the development of the specifications for the future Great Western and Cross Country franchises unfold.

Taxis: Greater London

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to cap private hire licensing by Transport for London to reduce cross border-hiring.

Mr John Hayes: The Mayor of London has recently written to the Secretary of State for Transport requesting a reform of the law to give Transport for London the power to cap the number of private hire vehicle driver licences. The Mayor requested this reform as part of a wider package of measures which the Secretary of State has asked him to provide details of, sharing how the proposal would work in practice.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the economic benefits to regions outside of London and the south east of England of an expansion of Heathrow airport over the next three decades.

Mr John Hayes: The Department has undertaken an economic assessment of the impact of a new runway at Heathrow at a national level, taking account of all areas of the UK. Regions across the country should benefit from new destinations, extra seats and increased frequency of service created by increased capacity at Heathrow. Enhanced access to international connectivity will be important in supporting regional economic growth. In addition, for regions where domestic air connections to London remain crucial, such as Scotland, expansion will create space for increased frequencies and new links.

Regional Airports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the value to the national economy of flights from regional airports to Heathrow airport.

Mr John Hayes: The Airports Commission published growth forecasts for regional airports for the three shortlisted schemes. The Department has undertaken an economic assessment of the impact of a new runway at Heathrow at a national level, taking account of changes in connectivity across the UK and beyond, and which shows significant economic benefits of up to £61 billion.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the economic benefits to the UK of the expansion of Heathrow Airport.

Mr John Hayes: The Government’s latest estimate, published on 2 February, was that a new runway at Heathrow will deliver benefits to passengers and the wider UK economy of up to £61 billion. Regions across the country should benefit from new destinations, extra seats and increased frequency of service created by increased capacity at Heathrow. Heathrow expansion is also expected to deliver tens of thousands of additional local jobs by 2030, and while it is not possible to precisely quantify the impacts on regional jobs and GDP, expanding airport capacity in the South East will support economic growth in the UK’s regions. Nevertheless, as part of the consultation on the draft Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) the government was clear that further work was underway to update the evidence base, including revised aviation demand forecasts. The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 7 September that there is a need to conduct a short period of further consultation to allow this updated evidence to be taken into account.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department had with the Ministry of Defence on the decision to increase commercial flights to 12,000 a year at RAF Northolt; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of such flights on local air quality.

Mr John Hayes: RAF Northolt is an operational military base and is the policy responsibility of the Secretary of State for Defence. In 2011, the Ministry of Defence consulted the Department for Transport on a range of options for the future of the base, but the subsequent decision to increase commercial aviation operations at the base – and any assessment of the impacts of this – remained with the Secretary of State for Defence.

Railways: Christmas

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains ran on Boxing Day in each of the last five years; and what plans he has to increase the number of trains running on Boxing Day 2017.

Paul Maynard: Historic information on the number of train services run on Boxing Day is not held by the Department. We are not currently aware of plans for an increase in services on Boxing Day this year, but franchised operators are encouraged to explore the scope for such initiatives where these can be operated on a commercial basis.

South Wales Railway Line: Electrification

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate has been made of potential increases in investment in the Swansea area in the event that the Cardiff to Swansea railway line had been electrified.

Paul Maynard: There will be significant passenger benefits from the new Intercity Express trains being delivered from Autumn this year which include over 130 extra seats, faster journey times and improved connectivity for South Wales to London. This will deliver passenger benefits earlier than expected. We did not consider that electrification to Swansea delivered any material increase in investment in the Swansea area.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the cost of the road and rail infrastructure required to support the expansion of Heathrow airport; and if he will publish the methodology used to make that calculation.

Mr John Hayes: The Airports Commission estimated that the potential costs of the surface access provision for a northwest runway at Heathrow were around £5bn but recognised that the finalised details, and therefore costs, would be determined as part of the statutory planning process. Details of the Commission’s cost estimation methodology were published alongside its Final Report in July 2015 and the Cost and Commercial Viability: Cost and Revenue Identification Update for the Heathrow Northwest Runway is available from the Commission’s website. Additionally, Highways England undertook a validation of the Airports Commission’s consideration of the strategic road network surface access proposals, including its cost estimates, and their Airports Commission Surface Access Works: Strategic Road Network Proposals Validation of Costs and Delivery Assumptions report was published in October 2016 and is available from the Department’s website.

South Wales Railway Line: Electrification

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he had with the Welsh Government on the decision to not electrify the railway line between Cardiff and Swansea.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has with the Secretary of State for Wales on the decision to not electrify the railway line between Cardiff and Swansea.

Paul Maynard: The Secretary of State has regular discussions on a variety of matters with the Secretary of State for Wales as well as other stakeholders in Wales. I note that new IEP trains will be introduced on mainline services to Cardiff and Swansea from this autumn.

Heathrow Airport: Freight

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of an expansion of Heathrow Airport on trends in the level of road freight traffic to that airport.

Mr John Hayes: In July 2015, the Airports Commission published alongside its Final Report a surface access freight impact study, which considered the effect of an expansion of Heathrow airport on goods vehicle demand growth. This study can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/437276/surface-access-freight-impacts-study.pdf . As part of the surface access requirements in the draft Airports National Policy Statement, Government has specified that any application for development consent should set out mitigation measures to minimise and mitigate the effect of expansion on existing surface access arrangements.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings his Department has had with commercial airlines on matters relating to RAF Northolt over the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport has not had any meetings with commercial airlines on matters relating to RAF Northolt over the last five years.

Heathrow Airport: Tolls

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the local economy in West London of proposals to introduce a Heathrow airport congestion charging scheme.

Mr John Hayes: As part of the surface access requirements in the draft Airports National Policy Statement, Government has specified that any applicant for development consent should set out the mitigation measures that it considers are required to minimise and mitigate the effect of expansion on existing surface access arrangements. As part of the necessary airport surface access strategy, the applicant should, amongst other things, consider measures and incentives which could help manage demand by car users, but the precise mechanism is for the promoter to determine. The Airports Commission, as part of its consideration of the short listed options for airport expansion published an assessment of the potential impacts from the introduction of a form of access charge at the airport alongside its Final Report in July 2015. The Surface Access: Demand Management Study report is available from the Airports Commission’s website.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of improvements to surface access infrastructure to meet the requirements of a third runway at Heathrow airport.

Mr John Hayes: Heathrow Airport Limited have committed to meet the costs of any surface access proposals that are essential to deliver airport expansion including works on the M25, the A4 and the A3044. Where proposed surface access projects have wider beneficiaries, such as the Western Rail and Southern Rail proposals, the Government will consider funding a proportion based on benefits for airport users and other beneficiaries in line with our Aviation Policy Framework. The Airports Commission estimated that the potential costs of the surface access provision for a northwest runway were around £5bn but recognised that the finalised details, and therefore costs, would be determined as part of the statutory planning process.

Airports: National Policy Statements

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish the report of Sir Jeremy Sullivan on the draft Airports National Policy Statement process.

Mr John Hayes: Sir Jeremy Sullivan’s report on the consultation process in relation to the draft Airports National Policy Statement was published on 07 September 2017 and is available on .GOV.UKhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-airports-national-policy-statement-sir-jeremy-sullivans-consultation-review

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Performance Related Pay

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the change in the level of bonuses paid to senior employees in the DVLA has been from 2012 to 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: Pay and remuneration for senior civil servants in the Department are agreed through the central Department, including for staff in the Executive Agencies, such as DVLA. Departments are able to use 3.3% of their senior civil service paybill for bonuses. Payments are linked to performance, and only the top 25% of senior civil service performers eligible. Payment levels from 2012 to 2017 for the grades of senior civil service staff at the DVLA and the Department are shown in the table below: YearSCS1SCS22012£10,000£12,5002013£10,000£12,5002014£14,500£16,0002015£13,500£15,0002016£14,000£15,5002017£14,000£15,500

Airports: Air Pollution

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has undertaken of the effect of the time taken to produce an air quality strategy on airports policy.

Mr John Hayes: The Government published a call for evidence for a new aviation strategy in July 2017. As part of the consultation process the Government will review its policy on aviation-related air quality, which is currently set out in the 2013 Aviation Policy Framework.

Schools: Transport

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals on compulsory concessionary school travel tickets.

Jesse Norman: There are no plans to introduce a compulsory concession for home to school travel. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide free home to school transport for all eligible children. In addition, they have the powers under the Concessionary Bus Travel Act to provide further local concessions.The Government recognises the importance of ensuring young people are able to travel on public transport to and from places of education and keeps policies such as this under regular review.

Heathrow Airport

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for updated flight paths around Heathrow Airport to be made publicly available.

Mr John Hayes: It is for Heathrow Airport Limited to determine the timing for publishing proposed new flightpaths for formal consultation while following the steps required by the Civil Aviation Authority’s airspace change process.

Airports: National Policy Statements

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the draft National Policy Statement on Airports was published without information on the new flight paths from a third runway at Heathrow.

Mr John Hayes: The Airports Commission used indicative flightpaths to underpin its noise modelling of the Northwest Runway scheme at Heathrow Airport. This information underpinned the Government’s assessment of the noise impacts of the scheme and associated Appraisal of Sustainability, which was published alongside the draft Airports National Policy Statement. Precise flightpath designs can only be defined at a later stage after detailed airspace design work has taken place and appropriate assessments and consultation have been undertaken in line with the requirements of the airspace change process which is owned by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Crossrail 2 Line: Kensington and Chelsea

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with officials from the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on Crossrail 2 and the proposal for a new station in Chelsea.

Paul Maynard: Transport for London has conducted regular engagement with London boroughs in developing the proposed Crossrail 2 scheme. This includes discussions with the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Crossrail 2 Line: Haringey

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with officials from the London Borough of Haringey on Crossrail 2.

Paul Maynard: Transport for London has conducted regular engagement with London boroughs in developing the proposed Crossrail 2 scheme. This includes discussions with the London Borough of Haringey.

Road Humps

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has published on the removal of speed bumps.

Jesse Norman: We publish guidance for highway authorities on the design of traffic calming measures, including road humps, in Local Transport Note (LTN) 01/07 ‘Traffic Calming’. This can be viewed via the following link:www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-notes In terms of the use of traffic calming measures including road humps, DfT circular 01/2013 ‘Setting local speed limits’ states that whilst the vast majority of traffic calming measures in use are speed humps, tables, cushions or rumble devices, traffic authorities will want to consider the full set of available measures. It should also be noted that the revised Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 add upright speed limit repeaters and road markings to the prescribed list of traffic calming features. These may now be used in addition to the self-enforcing features within signed 20 mph zones, and will enable local authorities to reduce the number of physical traffic calming features where vehicle speed is already around 20 mph due to the nature of the road. The requirement is now for at least one physical traffic calming feature within a 20 mph zone. Beyond that traffic authorities may, at their discretion, place any combination upright signs, speed limit road markings or additional physical traffic calming features at 100 metre (maximum) intervals. In doing so they will need to carefully consider the implications for the self-enforcing nature of a 20 mph zone. It is however ultimately for local authorities to decide whether they wish to install or remove road humps.

Electric Vehicles: Bicycles

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the use of electric bicycles as an alternative to commuting by car.

Jesse Norman: The Government recognises electrically assisted pedal cycles as an effective alternative to commuting by car, and will continue to promote them as part of our ambition to double cycling by 2025. The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in April 2017, sets out the Government's plans to promote all forms of cycling. It also explains how a total of £1.2 billion may be spent on this between 2016 and 2021.

Cycleways

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to promote the use of cycle paths.

Jesse Norman: As with all local cycling infrastructure, local authorities are best placed to promote cycle paths in their area, which offer cyclists an alternative to cycling in the carriageway. However, the decision to use a path will depend on the individual cyclist. While they can be attractive to some cyclists, particularly less confident cyclists, cycle paths may not always be convenient for experienced cyclists.

Speed Limits

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to monitor speed limits and ensure that they are appropriate.

Jesse Norman: The Government does not monitor speed limits, as traffic authorities set local speed limits in situations where local needs and conditions suggest a speed limit which is lower than the national speed limit. The Department has issued guidance to local highway authorities on setting local speed limits, which can be viewed online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-local-speed-limits

Transport: EU Law

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of interpreting into UK law the EU directives on operator licensing on (a) community transport providers and (b) isolated individuals and rural communities.

Jesse Norman: The provisions of Regulation 1071/2009 have been directly applicable in the UK since 2011. Following a recent DVSA decision letter to a community transport operator about their non-compliance with legal operating requirements, my Department issued a 31 July letter to permit-issuing bodies to clarify principles that they should have regard to. The Department for Transport intends to conduct a public consultation in the autumn, which will set out the changes needed to guidance and legislation, on the issue and use of section 19 and section 22 permits. The consultation will be accompanied by an Impact Assessment.

Taxis: Conditions of Employment

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his oral statement of 5 July 2017, Official Report, column 153WH, when his Department plans to publish the (a) terms of reference and (b) names of the chair and members of the working party on working conditions in the private hire industry.

Mr John Hayes: The working group on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, as announced on 5 July 2017, will have its first meeting on 26 September 2017. The group’s membership and terms of reference will be formally confirmed at that meeting, and copies of those documents will subsequently be deposited in the library of the House.

Railways: Luton Airport

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether consultation on the East Midlands rail franchise will take into account the volume of air passengers at London Luton Airport; and what assessment he has made of the (a) economic, (b) social and (c) environmental merits of improved rail services related to that franchise to that airport.

Paul Maynard: All options for future East Midlands services are subject to analysis of the potential benefits and consultation with stakeholders, which is currently ongoing. This consultation explicitly raises the issue of services to Luton Airport Parkway. The formal public consultation continues until 11 October and will inform the future franchise specification.

Taxis: Licensing

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to establish minimum requirements which all local authorities must abide by when granting licenses to taxi or private hire vehicle drivers.

Mr John Hayes: The Department has established a working group to consider current issues concerns relating to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, and produce focussed recommendations for action. National standards were proposed by the Law Commission in its 2014 report on taxi and private hire licensing, and I have asked the working group to consider relevant Law Commission recommendations in its deliberations.

A1: Scotland

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government about improvement to the A1.

Jesse Norman: Dualling the A1 to Scotland will have to be done in stages to limit disruption. The 13 mile section of the A1 between Morpeth and Ellingham is already being dualled as part of the first Road Investment Strategy. The Department has had Board level discussions with Transport Scotland about improving the remainder of the A1 from Newcastle to Scotland, and will continue to look at the case for dualling the route, taking into account Scotland’s revised Transport Strategy upon its publication.

Large Goods Vehicles: Speed Limits

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to reduce the speed limit for heavy goods vehicles from 56 miles per hour.

Jesse Norman: The vast majority of heavy goods vehicles are required to be fitted with a speed limiter set at 56 miles per hour and this must be used at all times. This is distinct from the road-based speed limits, which for heavy goods vehicles in England and Wales is 50 miles per hour on single carriageways and 60 miles per hour on dual carriageways and motorways. The Government has no current plans to change the speed limiter requirements or the national speed limits for heavy goods vehicles.

Roads: Accidents

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average cost is of dealing with a fatal road traffic accident on an A road.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold this information. We have estimates of accident costs in our online appraisal guidance (WebTAG) These estimates include police costs, damage to property and insurance and admin costs. Costs are split between built up roads with a speed limit of 40 mph or less and non-built up roads with speed limits greater than 40mph. Data is not available for A roads specifically.

Railway Stations: Finance

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will be launching a New Stations Fund 3.

Paul Maynard: The second round of New Stations funding was announced on 28 July and the five new stations are due to be delivered by March 2020 at the latest. The Department will seek further funding in due course for future years.

Bus Services

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department will be launching a further Better Bus Area programme.

Jesse Norman: We currently have no plans to launch a further round of the Better Bus Area programme.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will announce successful applications to the Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund 2a.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport announced on 1st August 2017 those local highway authorities who were successful in being awarded funding through Tranche 2a of the local highways maintenance challenge fund. Further details of the announcement and the schemes receiving funding can be seen at the following weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/councils-share-75-million-for-major-road-improvements

Bus Services: Concessions

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce proposals to make available a free bus pass for people at the age of 60.

Jesse Norman: There are no plans to introduce an age-related extension to the concessionary travel scheme. The age of eligibility for the scheme is currently rising in line with the state pension age. This will address the anomalous position of non-disabled people of working age having access to free bus travel, and will help the financial sustainability of the scheme. Under concessionary travel legislation, all local authorities in England also have a power to offer additional concessions to their residents, such as free travel for older people who are yet to reach pension age.

A19: Safety

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 20 April 2017 to Question 70178, how much of the £175 million allocated to local highways authorities will be spent on improving road safety on the A19.

Jesse Norman: The £175m Safer Roads Fund targets the 50 local authority 'A' road sections in England that carry the highest risk of death and serious injury to road users, based on analysis by the Road Safety Foundation. The list of the 50 highest risk road sections, published in January 2017, can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/roads-funding-information-pack. The sections of the A19 that are the responsibility of local highway authorities do not feature within this top 50 list and so are not eligible for the Safer Roads Fund.

Blue Badge Scheme: Eligibility

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people are classed as ineligible for a blue badge disabled parking permit and have been awarded 12 points in the planning and following a journey activity of the personal independence payment.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport does not hold these figures. People who are ineligible for a badge will not be asked if they have been awarded 12 points under the planning and following a journey activity of Personal Independence Payment.

Taxis: Licensing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities have a taxi licensing policy in place.

Mr John Hayes: The legislation that provides for the licensing of taxi services is enabling in its nature, giving licensing authorities the discretion to set standards that they deem to be appropriate for their area. Although currently there is no requirement in legislation for local authorities to have a published taxi licensing policy in place, the Department for Transport does publish Best Practice Guidance to assist licensing authorities when setting standards for taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers and operators. The Department will, for the first time, issue statutory guidance to licensing authorities. The guidance will contain robust standards that I expect all licensing authorities to adopt, to ensure that all passengers, particularly children and vulnerable adults, are protected when using taxi and PHV services. We will also consult on revised best practice guidance which will include recommendations to licensing authorities to assist them in setting appropriate standards to enable the provision of services the public demand. At the recent Westminster Hall Debate on the ‘Regulation of working conditions in the private hire industry’ I announced my intention to set up a working group to consider how PHV and taxi licensing authorities use their powers. The group’s terms of reference and membership will be confirmed shortly.

Driving Tests: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2017 to Question 99, what options are being considered by his Department for Baillieston DVSA test centre in Glasgow when the current property rental contract expires.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is in negotiations with the landlord of Baillieston test centre in respect of a further lease of the property and continued occupation of the premises.

Department for Transport: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of consultancy assignments procured by his Department are paid at a daily rate.

Mr John Hayes: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

A5: Dual Carriageways

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the merits of dualling the 20-mile stretch of the A5 between Shrewsbury and Ruabon.

Jesse Norman: As part of our development of the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2), the Department will thoroughly consider the case for dualling this stretch of road, using evidence gathered about existing and future pressures across the strategic road network. This evidence includes analysis made by Highways England on the A5 in the Midlands to Wales and Gloucestershire Route Strategy, published in March 2017, and from recent ministerial visits to the area. We will announce final decisions in 2019.

Industrial Health and Safety: Construction

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that contractors working in the construction industry are in possession of all appropriate licenses before being allowed to operate in public areas and walkways.

Jesse Norman: This is a matter for local highway authorities as they are responsible for issuing licences or permits for temporary work on their roads. Developers need to apply to them for the relevant licences and permits under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, the Highways Act 1980, the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Traffic Management Act 2004, as appropriate.

Severn River Crossing

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated annual cost to the Government is for (a) maintenance and (b) operations of the Severn Crossings after they return to public ownership.

Jesse Norman: Once Highways England take ownership they will be able to understand the ongoing operational and maintenance requirements. As well as annual maintenance and operating costs, there will also be other costs that are not incurred annually such as resurfacing. It is the Government’s intention that the outstanding Government debt on the Severn Crossings is recouped once the Crossings return to public ownership and before the tolls can be abolished. There will also be costs associated with ending tolling.

Driving Tests

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to review the driving test after the UK leaves the EU and is no longer subject to the European Driving Licence Directive.

Jesse Norman: This country has an excellent national road safety record and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) regularly reviews the delivery of the driving test to ensure the test is relevant and appropriate to real life driving on Great Britain’s roads, irrespective of our membership of the EU.

Driving Tests

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to introduce a mandatory element to the driving test on driving safely in the presence of heavy goods vehicles.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is confident that the training and testing of practical test candidates adequately covers the ability to interact safely with all road users, including heavy goods vehicles (HGV). In addition, the National Standards for Driving, the Highway Code and ‘The Official DVSA Guide to Driving: the essential skills’ make specific reference to large vehicles, highlighting that HGVs:need for more room to manoeuvre;travel at slower speeds; andcan block the view of other drivers. They also highlight that drivers of large vehicles might not be able to see other road users in their mirrors and give guidance on how to overtake a large vehicle safely.

Transport: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to (a) tackle traffic congestion and (b) improve public transport in Stafford constituency.

Jesse Norman: The Stafford area has benefitted from the following Government funded initiatives to tackle congestion and improve public transport: The Department for Transport has allocated over £23m to Staffordshire County Council in 2017/18 for routine road maintenance and small transport projects. That included £3.711m National Productivity Investment Funding for highways and public transport works in 2017/18 to help reduce congestion and improve or upgrade local highway infrastructure assets and unlock economic and job creation opportunities. The Council also succeeded in securing a Challenge Fund award of £5m for the maintenance of Burton upon Trent river crossings. The Government provided £87.5m towards the upgrading of the M6 to Smart Motorway status from Junction 10a (M54 interchange) to Junction 13 (Stafford), which was completed in February 2016. The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Enterprise Partnership has been awarded £121m over 3 rounds of Local Growth Fund. Funded projects include £24.3m for Stafford Western Access Route to ease congestion into the town centre and £6.5m towards a local sustainable transport package to improve access opportunities to employment, education and training. HS2 trains will serve the current station in Stafford. This will become an integrated high speed station where passengers can benefit from accessing the high speed network towards the South. The Stafford Area Improvement Project has removed a major rail bottleneck through the Stafford area, facilitating the introduction of new timetables, creating the capacity to run two additional trains per hour in each direction between London and the north west of England, and one additional fast service per hour between Manchester and Birmingham in each direction.

Roads: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether red routes in London will be classified as major roads for the purposes of the new National Road Fund.

Jesse Norman: As set out in the Transport Investment Strategy, published in July 2017, the Major Road Network (MRN) will be formed from a middle tier of England’s busiest and most economically important local authority A roads, sitting between England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN) and the local road network. A consultation later this year will include further details regarding what type of regionally and nationally important A roads will be part of the MRN.

Roads: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Transport for London Road Network will be eligible for funding from the new National Road Fund.

Jesse Norman: As set out in the Transport Investment Strategy published in July 2017, the Major Road Network (MRN) – funded by the National Road Fund – will be formed from a middle tier of England’s busiest and most economically important local authority A roads, sitting between England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN) and the local road network. A consultation later this year will include further details regarding what type of regionally and nationally important A roads will be part of the MRN.

Driving: Licensing

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the DVLA's system for reporting medical conditions.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) continually monitors and looks for ways to improve the performance and effectiveness of its processes for notifying medical conditions and making licensing decisions. The DVLA introduced an online service in October 2016 which now allows motorists to notify over 200 medical conditions online. This service has already won two awards including the Digital Public Service Innovation of the Year at the Digital Leaders 100 Awards in June 2017. In addition to the online service, the DVLA has made a number of other improvements in this area, including recruiting additional medical and administrative staff. These changes have had a positive impact on the time taken to deal with medical cases. The average time taken to make a licensing decision in the financial year 2016/17 was 37 days, down from 53 days in the 2015/16 financial year.

Skipton-Colne Railway Line

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of restoring the Skipton to Colne rail route.

Paul Maynard: Where connectivity needs are the key objective, we task the local authorities concerned to take the first step in evaluating benefits and prioritising available resources. Local partners in the North share a desire to improve connectivity across the Pennines and their East-West Connectivity Study suggested there will be economic benefits in doing so. They will be actively involved in the Transport for the North’s Central Pennines strategic development corridor study to develop an outline programme and business case. We look forward to seeing the results of this work in due course.

Bus Services: West Yorkshire

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many bus journeys operated out of (a) Keighley and (b) Ilkley bus station in each year from 2010.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold information on the number of bus journeys operated out of Keighley and Ilkley bus stations.

Birling Gap: Air Pollution

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide an update on the Marine and Coastguard Agency investigation on reports of a chemical haze at Birling Gap beach on 27 August 2017.

Mr John Hayes: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) investigation into the Birling Gap Incident is ongoing. The MCA has worked with other responders to identify a list of possible vessels of interest and is now finalising inquiries relating to possible sources; at this time the MCA has no further information to report regarding either the source or the nature of the gas.

A19: Accidents

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 20 April 2017 to Question 70176, what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the road casualty figures for 2016; and what steps he is taking to ensure the timely publication of future datasets.

Jesse Norman: I refer the Honourable Member to the response to ordinary written question 3841, answered on 18 July 2017: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-07-10/3841 The annual main results are being incorporated into the Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2016 annual report, pre-announced to be published on 28 September 2017.

River Mersey: Tolls

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether VAT is levied on Mersey (a) tunnel and (b) bridge charges.

Jesse Norman: Tolls for bridges, tunnels and roads operated by public authorities are outside the scope of VAT. As a result, no VAT is charged on the Mersey Tunnel tolls and it will not be charged on tolls for the Mersey Gateway.

Mersey Gateway Bridge: Tolls

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the (a) local economy and (b) economy of the North West region of new Mersey crossing tolls.

Jesse Norman: The Department’s assessment of the business case for the Crossing, which included a consideration of the overall effects of tolling levels on road users, showed that the new Crossing will reduce congestion and improve journey times for users. Tolling levels for the new Mersey Gateway Crossing are the responsibility of Halton Borough Council. Any assessment of the local impact of these tolls is therefore a matter for the Council rather than this Department.

Railways: Tickets

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made in introducing flexible ticketing for part-time commuters.

Paul Maynard: The Department has amended the process for re-letting franchises so that bidders are now required to give customers who work or commute part-time a better value for money option than buying multiple return journeys.

Railways: Electrification

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he had with Transport for the North in advance of his announcement that the full electrification of the Transpennine route between Leeds and Manchester would no longer take place.

Paul Maynard: Pending Transport for the North’s formal establishment as the first statutory Sub-national Transport Body, co-operation on investment planning takes place through our existing partnership with Rail North. The Government has not made any changes to our upgrade plans for the Transpennine Route. We are currently working with Rail North and Network Rail to develop very significant improvements for rail passengers on this route with phased introduction from December 2022. These could be the result of investment in new trains, electrification or other infrastructure work. The options will be costed by December, ahead of a decision next year. The upgrade aims to deliver major reductions in journey times (such as a target time of 40 minutes for fast trains from Manchester to Leeds, and 62 minutes from Manchester to York), the ability to run more frequent and longer trains offering more seats on both long distance and local services and improvements to overall performance on the whole route. There has been no change in these ambitions.

Midland Main Railway Line: Electrification

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the cancellation of the Midland Mainline electrification on the ability of High Speed 2 to integrate with the existing rail network.

Paul Maynard: The route into Sheffield from the south will be electrified from Clay Cross Junction by 2033 for HS2 services from London. The Secretary of State confirmed this intention in the Houses of Parliament in July.

Network Rail: Contracts

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of Network Rail's work by value was outsourced to external firms in the 2016-17 financial year; what the total value of that work was on (a) maintenance, (b) renewals and (c) enhancements; what the total profit to external firms from those contracts was for (i) maintenance, (ii) renewals and (iii) enhancements; and what the total additional cost resulting from multiple tiers of external contractors duplicating project management functions was relating to (A) maintenance, (B) renewals and (C) enhancements.

Paul Maynard: In the 2016-2017 financial year, Network Rail contracted out the following work by value, in relation to maintenance, renewals and enhancements: In relation to maintenance in 2016-17 accounted for 16.6% of the total maintenance spend by Network Rail in year. In relation to renewals in 2016-17 accounted for 60.5% of the total renewals spend by Network Rail in year. In relation to enhancements in 2016-17 accounted for 78.3% of the total enhancements spend by Network Rail in year. Breakdowns of the reported profit of Network Rail’s external sub-contractors, and data relating to any incremental costs from external contracting is not held by Network Rail.

Railways: Electrification

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the projected cost was of the cancelled electrification on the (a) Great Western Mainline, (b) Midland Mainline and (c) the line between Windermere and Oxenholme.

Paul Maynard: The forecast costs of delivering the cancelled electrification on (a) was around £0.5bn, (b) around £1.2bn and (c) around £40m (all in cash prices).

Railways: Electrification

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent to date on the planned electrification of the (a) Midland Mainline north of Kettering to Sheffield and Nottingham, (b) Great Western route west of Cardiff, (c) line between Windermere and Oxenholme and (d) Transpennine route between Manchester and Leeds.

Paul Maynard: New technologies mean that we can improve journeys for passengers sooner than expected with state of the art trains, instead of carrying out disruptive electrification works along these routes. Around £50m has been spent to date on development of the first three schemes. An investment decision will be made early next year on the Transpennine Route Upgrade, which is currently in the development phase. We are continuing to develop all options for this major route upgrade and have spent around £100m including delivering an improvement at Micklefield in West Yorkshire at Easter of this year which will improve reliability and train performance.

Railways: North of England

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to increase passenger capacity on trains between Bradford and (a) Manchester and (b) Leeds.

Paul Maynard: Rail commuters into Manchester will benefit from an almost 30% increase in capacity on Northern services in the morning peak and for rail commuters into Leeds a 37% increase. By December 2019, an extra 18 Northern services per day will be introduced. On Sundays 2 trains per hour will be provided, up from 1 per hour today, and new hourly services to Manchester Airport and Liverpool via Manchester using brand new trains. Between Bradford and Leeds, a new direct link will be introduced to Wakefield, Sheffield, Chesterfield and Nottingham via Leeds, with at least 10 services per day in each direction operated by brand new diesel trains.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether HS2 Limited has worked with the Behavioural Insights Team.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether High Speed 2 has received services from the Behavioural Insights Team.

Paul Maynard: HS2 Ltd have not worked with the Cabinet Office Behavioural Insight Team.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has worked with the Behavioural Insights Team on High Speed 2.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received services from the Behavioural Insights Team on High Speed 2.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Transport has received services, and worked with, the Cabinet Office’s Behavioural Insights team in connection with High Speed 2. This has enabled the department to add to its evidence base regarding the impacts of the project.

Midland Main Railway Line: Electrification

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent to date on the electification of the Midland Mainline (a) in total, (b) London to Corby and (c) north of Kettering.

Paul Maynard: Approximately £380m has been spent to date on the upgrade of the Midland Main Line. This includes approximately £305m on the section of the route between London to Corby (on electrification work and related infrastructure upgrades), and approximately £30m on preliminary works north of Kettering, including the raising of bridges on that part of the route. This will allow any future upgrade to be carried out with as little disruption as possible. The remainder of this spend has been on infrastructure upgrades across the route, including designing and developing works at Market Harborough and in Derby.

High Speed Two

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent on (a) all, (b) standard train and (c) first class train travel by staff of HS2 Ltd in each of the last five years.

Paul Maynard: The amount spent by HS2 Ltd staff on rail travel from June 2013 to date is as follows: DateStandard Train Spend (£)First Class Train Spend (£)Total Train Spend (£)June 2013- March 2014269,811.401,056.80270,868.20April 2014 – March 2015462,099.371,465.75463,565.12April 2015 – March 20161,202,504.59361.001,202,865.59April 2016 – March 20172,344,578.80-2,344,578.80April 2017 – 31st July 2017975,473.05-975,473.05Total5,254,467.212,883.555,257,350.76 Since 2015, first class rail travel has been prohibited by HS2. Prior to June 2013 rail travel expenses for HS2 Ltd staff were recorded on a different accounting system. On this system they were not separated from other staff expenses. As such, we cannot provide expenses associated with rail travel alone prior to June 2013.

Railways: North of England

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reduce train journey times between Bradford and (a) Manchester and (b) Leeds.

Paul Maynard: Northern Rail will be introducing, by December 2019, faster inter-urban services serving Leeds and Manchester from Bradford, operating with 100mph trains. As part of their franchise commitments, Northern will undertake a feasibility study to identify options for delivering journey time improvements.

Official Cars: Diesel Vehicles

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what date it is planned that the Government Car Service no longer uses diesel vehicles.

Mr John Hayes: The Government Car Service will be replacing diesel vehicles on their fleet as they become due for replacement with non-diesel alternatives. It has so far replaced a quarter of its vehicles with petrol hybrid cars. There is no specific target date for this to be completed, it will be dependent on an assessment at time of renewal in the interests of maximising value for money.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Diego Garcia: Ilois

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the next planned visit of Chagossians to Diego Garcia will take place; how many Chagossians will be able to take part in that visit; what the transport arrangements for that visit are; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The next visit of Chagossians to Diego Garcia and the Outer Islands will take place from 30 October to 8 November. A programme of events on the island is being arranged. Those visitors who were born in either Peros Banhos or Salomon will spend two days visiting those groups of islands before rejoining the other group members on Diego Garcia.We expect a further two visits to take place before April 2018. Each visit will accommodate twenty Chagossians, who will arrive into Diego Garcia by air and will return by the same route at the end of the visit.

Kashmir: Human Rights

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations the Government has made to the Indian Government on reported human rights abuses in Kashmir.

Mark Field: We recognise that there are human rights concerns in India-administered Kashmir. We encourage all States to ensure that their domestic laws are in line with international standards. Any allegations of human rights abuses must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently. We have previously raised concerns, most recently by Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister of State the Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon with Indian Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar during Lord Ahmad's visit to India in August 2017.

Papua: Human Rights

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Indonesian Government on human rights violations in West Papua.

Mark Field: Both our Ambassador and Embassy officials regularly engage the Indonesian Government on issues relating to Papua in Jakarta and in the region itself. Our Ambassador and Embassy officials visit Papua periodically. Officials most recently visited in July and our Ambassador will visit again later this year.

Algeria: Ahmadiyya

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterparts in Algeria on the arrest and detention of Ahmadi Muslims across Algeria since June 2016 on grounds of practising their faith.

Alistair Burt: ​We are aware of a number of reports of Ahmadiyya being arrested in Algeria. We have raised this with the Algerian government, who said that the arrests relate to breaches of laws which apply to all religions in Algeria. The Algerian constitution provides freedom of religion and we encourage them to make domestic law fully compatible with that. The promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief for all individuals internationally remains a high priority for the UK.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many applications his Department has received for (a) internal loans and (b) secondments from civil servants in each year since 2010.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold information on applications for a) internal loans and b) secondments from civil servants received in 2010 and 2011. The information on applications received between 2012 and 2017 is not held centrally and cannot be provided without exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether requests for consultancy and temporary staff for the his Department must be accompanied by a formal business case.

Sir Alan Duncan: All requests for consultancy and temporary staff must be accompanied by a formal business case. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's process for external recruitment is in compliance with Cabinet Office recruitment controls.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of consultancy assignments procured by his Department are paid at a daily rate.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of requests for consultancy and temporary staff for his Department were approved via a resource board.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) defines 'consultancy' and 'temporary' staff as agency staff; contingent staff; and contractors.In the Financial Year 2016/17, in compliance with Cabinet Office recruitment controls, the FCO's Chief Operating Officer approved 23 out of 25 requests for the recruitment of temporary staff for London-based roles. All approvals were for the recruitment of temporary staff paid on a daily rate.

Bahrain: Capital Punishment

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 21 March 2017 to Question HL5901, on Bahrain: capital punishment, when his Department expects the findings of the Ombudsman and Special Investigations Unit investigation into the allegations of torture of Mohammed Ramadan and Hussein Ali Mousa to be published.

Alistair Burt: Holding answer received on 11 September 2017



The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain continue to closely monitor Mohammed Ramadan and Hussein Ali Mousa's cases. The UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty, and our longstanding policy is to oppose capital sentences in all circumstances. We continue to raise concerns about these cases in public and in private at the most senior levels. We understand the Ombudsman and the Special Investigations Unit continue with their investigations. We do not know when these will be concluded or published but continue to encourage a swift, transparent conclusion.

Somaliland: Elections

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funding the Government has provided to support the (a) operation and (b) monitoring of elections in Somaliland.

Rory Stewart: The UK invested £2.18 million to plan, prepare and deliver biometric voter registration in Somaliland. Over 870,000 people have registered, more than half are women. The UK is providing an additional £1.4 million in funding to support the broader Somaliland electoral cycle, including civic education.The UK is also providing £202,017 to fund a 60-strong international election observation mission for the delayed Somaliland Presidential election, now scheduled for November 2017.The UK confirmed on 26 January 2017 that no UK funding would be used to cover additional costs associated with electoral delays.

Ukraine: Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Missions to Ukraine; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is a long-standing supporter of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine. The UK contingent is the second largest in the Mission; we are one of the largest contributors to its budget, and have provided specialist training and support. We receive regular reports from the OSCE on the SMM's work. These highlight a worrying level of ongoing ceasefire violations in the Donbas, which continue to cause casualties on a daily basis. They also show persistent obstruction of monitors, in the vast majority of cases by Russian-backed separatists. SMM public reports can be found on the OSCE website.

Yemen: International Assistance

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Government of Saudi Arabia on unrestricted humanitarian access to Yemen.

Alistair Burt: Holding answer received on 11 September 2017



We regularly raise the importance of ensuring unrestricted humanitarian access with the Government of Saudi Arabia. The Foreign Secretary discussed this issue most recently with Saudi Foreign Minister Al Jubeir on 5 September. We call upon all parties to the conflict to improve humanitarian access to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. The UK sponsored a UN Security Council Presidential Statement with words to that effect which was agreed on 15 June.

Burma: Rohingya

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the security situation, (b) human rights and (c) religious freedom in the state of Rohingya, Burma.

Mark Field: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

North Korea: Foreign Relations

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) his North Korean counterpart and (b) officials from the North Korean Government, since the North Korean nuclear missile test on 3 September 2017.

Mark Field: On 5 September I summoned the North Korean Ambassador to make clear the UK's condemnation of North Korea's nuclear test on 3 September. I emphasised that North Korea's reckless actions have created a deeply dangerous and unstable situation on the Korean peninsula. I urged the Ambassador to pass on this message to the regime in Pyongyang: it must end its illegal pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missiles and return to dialogue with the international community.

Burma: Rohingya

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Aung San Suu Kyi and (b) officials from the Burmese Foreign Ministry on (i) the security situation, (ii) human rights and (iii) religious freedom in the state of Rohingya, Burma.

Mark Field: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Australia: LGBT People

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed (a) LGBT rights and (b) same-sex marriage with his Australian counterpart.

Mark Field: ​FCO ministers including myself have discussed LGBT rights and same-sex marriage with Australian counterparts in general terms. With the exception of marriage, LGBT people in Australia have the same rights and protections as anyone else. The question of whether same-sex marriage should be legalised in Australia is a matter for the Australian people to decide.

Nepal: Religious Freedom

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Nepalese counterpart on freedom of religious conscience and people who wish to convert from one religion to another in that country.

Mark Field: The right to freedom of religion is enshrined in the Nepali Constitution of September 2015. However, we have concerns regarding the drafting of the new legislation on religious conversion, which could be interpreted in a way that would limit people’s rights to express their religion and, potentially, their right to choose their religion.Our Embassy in Kathmandu has consistently encouraged the Government of Nepal and members of Nepal’s parliament to ensure Nepal meets its international human rights obligations. This includes ensuring the protection of the right to change religion. My officials have met with representatives from religious minorities to better understand their concerns. My predecessor, My. Hon Friend the member for Reading West (Mr Sharma), also discussed human rights with Nepali Foreign Minister Mahat at the UN on 22 September 2016. We continue to do so.

Yemen: Human Rights

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will support the Dutch Government initiative to create an international investigation into the alleged violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law in Yemen at the 36th session of the UN Human Rights Council; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Holding answer received on 11 September 2017



​The UK is concerned by the human rights situation in Yemen and takes allegations of violations against international humanitarian law very seriously. The UK's position is that it is first and foremost the responsibility of the parties themselves to investigate allegations and take action.

India

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with representatives from the UK's Sikh community on the UK's military role in the 1984 raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar; and if he will commission a public inquiry into UK involvement in that event.

Mark Field: I appreciate that tragic events of 1984 are still the source of great, and lasting pain to many in the Sikh community. FCO officials met representatives of the Sikh community in October 2016. The then Minister for Asia, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma) discussed the issue with the Rt Hon Member for Warley (Mr Spellar) and other honourable members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs on 11 January 2017.The Cabinet Secretary's 2014 investigation into the UK military role in Operation Blue Star concluded that UK assistance was advisory, ended several months before the operation and had limited impact on the tragic events that followed. I am satisfied that the Cabinet Secretary's investigation dealt conclusively with this issue. I do not believe that there is any need to commission a public inquiry.

Nigeria: Politics and Government

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the representatives of the Nigerian Government on the political situation in Northern Nigeria; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The Foreign Secretary and the Secretary for International Development visited Nigeria in August. They discussed the political and military situation in the north with the Vice President of Nigeria and the Military Theatre Commander in Maiduguri. They reaffirmed the Government's commitment to assisting Nigeria in its struggle against Boko Haram, but emphasised that there can be no military-only solution to the insurgency. They pressed the Nigerian Government to take a more comprehensive security, political and developmental approach to the North East in order to address the drivers of the conflict.

North Korea: International Relations

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking up promoting the Six Party Talks with North Korea which were broken off in 2009.

Mark Field: ​We are working closely with our international partners to increase the pressure on North Korea to desisit from its destabilising actions and open the way towards a peaceful resolution to regional tension. North Korea needs to take credible, concrete steps towards its obligations to denuclearise for dialogue to occur. The UK stands ready to support negotiations in those circumstances, whether in the Six Party Talks or another agreed format.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Adam Smith International

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding from the public purse has been paid by his Department to Adam Smith International since March 2017; how much of that funding is classified as Official Development Assistance; and whether his Department has (a) signed any new contracts or (b) extended existing contracts with Adam Smith International since March 2017.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

Sierra Leone: Floods

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the UK has given to the people of (a) Sierra Leone and (b) Freetown after recent flooding.

Rory Stewart: Our deepest sympathies are with the people of Sierra Leone affected by the mudslide and flooding in and around Freetown. The UK was among the first to respond, with personnel at the scene within hours. We provided vital humanitarian assistance immediately, drawing on supplies already in place following the Ebola outbreak. We have allocated £5m to provide clean water and hygiene kits to prevent a cholera outbreak; essential health and psychosocial services; and food and clothing to those affected. We are helping families to re-establish their lives by finding alternative accommodation, and ensuring their children can return to school.

Slavery

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority on steps to tackle modern slavery.

Alistair Burt: The Home Office leads on the UK Government’s relationship with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and provide support to the GLAA in executing its police powers to deal with serious cases of labour market abuse, including modern slavery. The Department for International Development (DFID) works in close collaboration with the Home Office, to ensure modern slavery is being tackled both domestically and internationally.

Developing Countries: Children

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support children in countries that benefit from UK aid to have access to high-quality childcare; and what plans she has to support an increase in nursery quality in those countries so that all children are prepared and ready for school at age five.

Alistair Burt: DFID delivers education, health, nutrition and water and sanitation services for young children in several countries benefitting from UK aid. This includes prioritising nutrition investments in children’s first 1,000 days and investing in high quality childcare through pre-school provision. In Burma the UK has supported 200,000 children to access quality pre-school education. In Tanzania the successful 16 week School Readiness Programme benefits 160,000 children.The UK advocated for the inclusion of early childhood development in the Global Goals agreed in 2015. DFID invests in research to strengthen the evidence for future investments, launching a new research programme with the British Academy this year, the results of which will be disseminated broadly to shape future programming.

Slavery

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department spends on combatting modern slavery each year.

Alistair Burt: The Department for International Development tackles modern slavery directly through programmes that have an estimated combined spend of approximately £45 million. This comprises of:- The £10.5 million Work in Freedom programme, which is helping women facing slavery and exploitation. To date over 200,000 women have benefited.- The £8 million Women and Girls Protection Fund for Europe and the Mediterranean has been established to protect women and girls migrating from North Africa to Europe at risk of trafficking, forced labour and violence.- The £21.8m Responsible, Accountable and Transparent Enterprise (RATE) collaborates with business, global initiatives and DFID country offices, will spread responsible business approaches, including tackling modern slavery.- Additionally, we are providing funding to projects tackling modern slavery through Aid Direct and Aid Connect with modern slavery and child labour as one of four priority areas.

Sierra Leone: Floods

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what resources her Department has made available to help Sierra Leone in the aftermath of recent flooding and mudslides in that country.

Rory Stewart: Our deepest sympathies are with the people of Sierra Leone affected by the mudslide. The UK was among the first to respond, with personnel at the scene within hours. We provided vital humanitarian assistance immediately, drawing on supplies already in place following the Ebola outbreak. We have allocated £5m to provide clean water and hygiene kits to prevent a cholera outbreak; essential health and psychosocial services; and food and clothing to those affected. We are helping families to re-establish their lives by finding alternative accommodation, and ensuring their children can return to school.

Education: Developing Countries

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help meet the aims of Sustainable Development Goal 4.

Priti Patel: The government is committed to the aims of Sustainable Development Goal 4, in particular ensuring that children in developing countries are able to access a good quality education.The UK supported 11 million children in school between 2011 and 2015. The UK is also leading the way on reaching the most marginalised children including through flagship programmes such as the Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) which is supporting 1 million of the world’s most marginalised girls. We have stepped up on education in emergencies through our funding of Education Cannot Wait. We have also committed to getting more children with disabilities into school and learning. The UK has funded 380,000 teachers through our multilateral contributions. All are critical elements of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Department for International Development: Arms Length External Organisations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the number of new arms-length bodies her Department plans to establish once the UK has left the EU.

Alistair Burt: As we leave the EU, we will consider appropriate mechanisms for delivering our priorities. My Department has no current plans to establish new arms-length bodies as a result of leaving the EU.

Department for International Development: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many applications her Department has received for (a) internal loans and (b) secondments from civil servants in each year since 2010.

Rory Stewart: The number of applications DFID has received for internal loans from existing civil servants applying through Civil Service Jobs (from November 2012) is: Number of ApplicantsLoans2012362013902014852015452016752017285 Information prior to November 2012 is not available. Existing Civil Servants apply to DFID on loan, and not secondment.

Department for International Development: Assets

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, in which of the last 10 years her Department has submitted a strategic asset management plan to the Government Property Unit.

Rory Stewart: DFID has submitted annual Strategic Asset Management Plans since these were first commissioned by the Government Property Unit (GPU) in 2014.

Department for International Development: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of consultancy assignments procured by her Department are paid at a daily rate.

Rory Stewart: The information is not held in the form requested and can only be collated at disproportionate cost.

Department for International Development: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the principle set out in paragraph 5.3.6 of the Government's Cyber Security Strategy that everyone who works in government has a sound awareness of cyber risk applies to members of staff employed by contractors doing work procured by her Department.

Rory Stewart: The principle set out in paragraph 5.3.6 of the Government's Cyber Security Strategy applies to members of staff employed by contractors doing work procured by DFID where appropriate. This is in line with our standard terms and conditions which state:‘Where required in accordance with Section 3 (Terms of Reference) and tender documentation, the Supplier shall obtain and maintain certification under the HM Government Cyber Essentials Scheme at the level set out in Section 3 (Terms of Reference) and tender documentation.’

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: Yemen is one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world. According to the UN, almost 21 million people (over 75% of the population) are in need of humanitarian aid, with nearly 10 million in need of immediate help to save or sustain life. Yemen is also facing the world’s worst cholera outbreak with over 624,000 suspected cholera cases recorded since April and more than 2,000 deaths.In response, the UK has increased our funding for Yemen to £139 million for 2017-18. This includes support for cholera prevention; the provision of medical supplies and treatment for those affected; as well as life-saving interventions including nutrition support to 1.7 million people and clean water and sanitation for 1.2 million people.On the 11th August, the Secretary of State for International Development announced that we are targeting £8 million of our support to UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration on activities specifically to address cholera. The funding will be used to provide medical supplies to half a million people, give safe access to chlorinated water to 300,000 people, and rehabilitate medical facilities used by 250,000 people.This is a significant increase from previous years, and makes us the second-largest contributor to the UN’s 2017 Yemen Appeal and the third-largest humanitarian donor overall. At the same time the UK continues to play a leading role in lobbying for a political solution to the conflict, as well as pressing others in the international community to step up and provide co-ordinated humanitarian support.

Burma: Overseas Aid

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the amount of resources from the foreign aid budget that will be allocated to projects in Burma in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018; and if she will list those projects.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s programme in Burma has an allocated budget of £94 million for financial year 2017/18 and £100 million for financial year 2018/19. Information on individual projects is available on the DFID Development Tracker (www.devtracker.dfid.gov.uk).

Burma: Overseas Aid

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding from the foreign aid budget was allocated to projects in Burma in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016; and if she will list those projects.

Alistair Burt: In financial year 2015/16 DFID Burma’s programme totalled £100 million and in 2016/17 it was £99 million. Information on individual projects is available on the DFID Development Tracker (www.devtracker.dfid.gov.uk).

Department for International Development: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which EU legislation within her Department's responsibilities will (a) be incorporated into UK law through the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill and (b) require to be amended under powers in that Bill.

Alistair Burt: There is no EU Legislation within my Department’s responsibilities that will be incorporated into UK law through the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill or be required to be amended under the powers within the Bill.

Burma: Rohingya

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to provide humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees fleeing from Rakhine state; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government is deeply concerned about the violence against the Rohingya and other communities in Burma’s Rakhine State, and the plight of thousands fleeing their homes. The UK has long been one of the biggest contributors of humanitarian aid for the Rohingya in both Burma and Bangladesh. DFID has already committed £5.9 million to meet the needs of displaced Rohingya and the host communities who support them in Bangladesh. This is reaching 55,188 people with a range of support including food, education and protection of the safety and dignity of the most vulnerable, including women and girls. A further £5 million is being made available to provide urgent assistance to newly arriving refugees with needs such as food, shelter, and water and sanitation. Within Rakhine State we have provided over £30 million in humanitarian assistance since 2012, including food and sanitation for over 126,000 people. We review this support frequently in light of events and needs.

Curriculum: Punjab

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of work by the Punjab Curriculum and Textboard Board on the content of textbooks relating to women, LGBT people and people of other faiths and nationalities.

Alistair Burt: With support from DFID, the Government of Punjab is revising and improving primary and secondary textbooks through the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board. This process aligns textbooks with the 2006 National Curriculum and removes content that promotes prejudice and discrimination against religious or other minorities. New textbooks promote a positive portrayal of women and girls. These revisions continue across subjects and grade textbooks. An independent evaluation of the reformed curriculum in 2013 confirmed it to be based on the values of democracy and pluralism. DFID carries out an assessment of the effectiveness of Board’s work every year during the Annual Review of the overall Punjab Education Sector Programme.

Rwanda: Human Rights

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the findings of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative report on Rwanda, published in 2009, have affected policy on (a) aid to Rwanda and (b) Rwanda's continued membership of the Commonwealth.

Rory Stewart: UK aid policy in Rwanda has evolved considerably since 2009. The UK has not provided General Budget Support to Rwanda since 2013 and stopped Sector Budget Support in 2014. The British Government continues to speak candidly with the Government of Rwanda on all issues of human rights, freedom of expression and governance. Commonwealth membership is a matter for the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Latifa Abu Hmeid

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian Authority, signed in 2014, what discussions her Department has had with the Palestinian Authority on the recent decision of President Abbas to meet, and the Authority to honour, Latifa Abu Hmeid.

Alistair Burt: Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language that could incite violence or hatred. While we have not raised this specific issue with the Palestinian Authority, HMG regularly lobby the Palestinian leadership to tackle language that could incite violence or hatred, including anti-Semitic language. I raised this at the highest levels during my recent visit.

Palestinians: Higher Education

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian Authority, signed in 2014, what discussions her Department has had with the Palestinian Authority regarding President Abbas' decision to appoint Imad Hamato to the post of dean of the Al-Azhar Institutes in Gaza.

Alistair Burt: Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language that could incite violence or hatred, including anti-Semitic language. While we have not raised this specific issue with the Palestinian Authority, HMG regularly lobby the Palestinian leadership to tackle language that could incite violence or hatred, including anti-Semitic language. I raised this at the highest levels during my recent visit.

South Asia: Floods

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what humanitarian support the Government has provided (a) to each country and (b) by each delivery agency in response to the recent flooding in South Asia.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s work has been pivotal in supporting the governments of Bangladesh and Nepal to respond quickly and effectively to help people who have been affected. In each affected country: Bangladesh: DFID made the first international contribution of £660,000 – the largest contributor after Government of Bangladesh itself -to those affected by the floods, via a consortium of NGOs. This will help over 60,000 people with food, shelter, and water and sanitation.Nepal: DFID has also allocated £400,000 to the Nepal Red Cross Society for water, sanitation, livelihood recovery and health. DFID has also responded through the START Fund global consortia of NGOs, which responds to small and medium emergencies. The multi-donor global START Fund has allocated £325,000.India: The START Fund has allocated £400,000 for India. The Indian Government has not requested assistance.Pakistan: DFID has funded a rapid assessment around Karachi and Sindh to identify potential needs.

Overseas Aid

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse in cash terms of meeting the target to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income as development assistance in 2018.

Rory Stewart: This is available in the Office for Budgetary Responsibility’s March 2017 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, and can be found in Table 1.2 of the Economy supplementary tables. http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/download/march-2017-economic-and-fiscal-outlook-supplementary-economy-tables/

Syria: Refugees

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Alistair Burt: The UK is supporting people in Lebanon by meeting the most urgent humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities, investing in job opportunities and providing quality education to children in Lebanon. Since the start of the Syria crisis, DFID has provided nearly half a million cash grants and vouchers to vulnerable people to meet their basic needs, expanded the Lebanese education system to reach almost 300,000 Syrian children, and improved infrastructure and services in 51 of the most conflict-prone municipalities. We also supported approximately 13,000 individuals in Lebanon through livelihoods projects and support to cooperatives, created 1,300 new jobs and provided sustainable access to clean water and/or sanitation to over 900,000 people.

Syria: Refugees

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of church-based initiatives in Lebanon in supporting Syrian refugees.

Alistair Burt: The UN co-ordinates the activities of humanitarian actors in Lebanon, including faith-based organisations, in support of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, which is a strategic and operational framework agreed by the Government of Lebanon. We encourage all organisations, including church-based initiatives, to ensure any support they provide is coordinated through these appropriate frameworks to ensure the most vulnerable receive the support they need.

Syria: Refugees

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Alistair Burt: As of 30 June 2017, 1,001,051 Syrian refugees were registered with UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon; the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, agreed between the Government of Lebanon and the UN states that, as not all refugees are registered, the total could be as high as 1.5 million.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much overseas development aid the Government has provided to Yemen since 2015.

Alistair Burt: In 2015/16 DFID provided £90m in direct assistance to Yemen; in 2016/17 £112m; and in 2017/18 we are providing £139m. On top of this DFID also provides support to Yemen through our global programmes and through our multilateral contributions.Our contribution this year makes us the second-largest donor to the UN’s 2017 Yemen Appeal and the third-largest humanitarian donor to Yemen overall. At the same time, the UK continues to play a leading role in lobbying for a political solution to the conflict, as well as pressing the international community to step up their own contributions to Yemen.

Department for Education

Armed Forces: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children of service personnel are currently receiving education in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the City of York local authority area.

Nick Gibb: The service child indicator collected via the school census is self-declared by parents. This indicator identifies children with parental responsibility who, at census day, are service personnel who are exercising parental care and responsibility and serving in: regular HM Forces military units; full commitment as part of the full time reserve service; or in the armed forces of another nation and stationed in England. Data from the 2017 spring school census, reflecting the position in schools as at 19 January 2017, shows that:(a) 253 pupils recorded as a service child were on roll of primary schools in York local authority area.(b) 144 pupils recorded as a service child were on roll of secondary schools in York local authority area. Additionally, the service child element of the pupil premium is allocated to children in year groups reception to Year 11 who have been recorded as a service child on any pupil level census in the last 6 years or are in receipt of a War Pension Scheme or Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme pension from the Ministry of Defence as a result of injury, illness or death caused by Service. Pupil premium allocations for the 2017/2018 financial year show there were 472 pupils in York local authority eligible for the service child element of the pupil premium. Further information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2017-to-2018.

Free Schools: Admissions

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether a decision has been made on the proposal to remove the 50 per cent cap on religious selection at free schools; and when her Department plans to publish its response to the Schools that Work for Everyone consultation.

Nick Gibb: Church and faith schools play an important role in promoting integration and an understanding of different faiths and communities. We will continue to work closely with Church and faith schools to promote and support integration and will set out further details in due course. The Department will provide further information on the Schools that work for everyone consultation, including in relation to the 50% cap on faith-based admissions, in due course.

Academies: Inspections

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to allow Ofsted to inspect academy chains.

Nick Gibb: Ofsted already makes a valuable contribution to the department’s understanding of multi academy trust (MAT) performance through focused inspections of schools within the same MAT. As the school system evolves, we recognise that MAT-level accountability will also need to evolve. This is why the Department is working closely with Ofsted in considering how this model can best be adapted to the changing landscape.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017 Official Report, column 565, from which programmes the £350 million will be found to finance the increase in core schools budget in 2019 - 20.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017, Official Report, column 565, how much funding from her Department's central programmes will be allocated to frontline funding for schools in 2019-20.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017, Official Report, column 565, how much funding from her Department's central programmes will be allocated to frontline funding for schools in 2018-19.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017, Official Report, column 565, if she will list those programmes which will contribute to the £200 million additional funding for the core schools budget.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017 Official Report, column 565, what estimate she has made of the savings to be made from her Department's general capital budget to increase the core schools budget in 2018 - 19.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017 Official Report, column 565, what estimate she has made of the savings to be made from her Department's general capital budget to increase the core schools budget in 2019-20.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017 Official Report, column 565, from which of her Department's programmes the £250 million will be found to finance the  increase in the core schools budget in 2018 - 19.

Nick Gibb: This Government believes it is right to maximise the amount of funding which is allocated directly to schools, enabling head teachers, to use their professional expertise to ensure that it is spent where it will have the greatest impact.We are looking across all areas of the department’s budget for efficiencies. We will maintain funding on the highest value areas, particularly the Government’s priorities. As part of this process, we have said that we will release £200 million from central programmes that support schools on relatively narrow areas of their work. We will also release £420 million from the Department's capital budget.

Teachers: Disciplinary Proceedings

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers have been disciplined under section 406 of the Education Act 1996 in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Decisions on whether to discipline teachers are a matter for their employers. The Department does not, therefore, hold any data on how many teachers are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Sex and Relationship Education

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 28 June 2017 to Question 854 on sex and relationship education, if she will provide an update on the engagement process for statutory guidance on relationships and sex education.

Nick Gibb: We will announce shortly further details on the wider engagement process. This will set out how we will build evidence from schools, parents, younger people and other organisations to shape draft statutory guidance, which will then be subject to public consultation.

National Curriculum Tests

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of year 6 SATs on the mental health of 11 year olds in (a) Hull West and Hessle constituency and (b) England.

Nick Gibb: Statutory assessments at the end of Key Stage 2 are a fundamental element of our primary education system. They enable teachers and parents to identify the areas in which individual pupils might require additional support so they can succeed at secondary school and help us to hold primary schools to account for the education they provide. However, statutory assessments in primary schools are not high stakes for individual pupils and are not designed to cause them stress or anxiety. National Curriculum tests undergo a robust three year development process which takes account of pupils’ experiences of the tests through large scale representative trialling and review by teachers, head teachers and assessment and inclusion experts.Schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well, but we do not recommend that they devote excessive preparation time for assessments and certainly not at the expense of a pupil’s wellbeing. We continue to trust teachers to administer tests in a way that does not put undue pressure on pupils. Schools should provide appropriate support as part of a whole school approach to supporting the wellbeing and resilience of pupils. We would encourage schools to ensure that any child experiencing high levels of stress speaks to their teachers or school counsellors.

Pre-school Education: Teachers

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made from the Childcare and early years providers survey of 2016 referred to in the Early Years Workforce Strategy of March 2017 of the proportion of early years educators who have neither English nor mathematics GCSE at A* to C and do not have a level 3 qualification.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The proportion of early educators who have a qualification at level 2 or lower and also have GCSE mathematics and English (or equivalents) is shown in Table 11 of the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2016, which is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2016.

Children: Day care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies on the level of funding for childcare providers of survey data from the Pre-School Learning Alliance, published in August 2017, on the proportion of childcare facilities which will potentially become financially unsustainable by August 2018.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government will be investing £1 billion extra every year in the early years entitlements, including over £300 million a year to increase our hourly funding rates. This increased level of funding is based on our comprehensive “Review of Childcare Costs” which looked at both the current costs of childcare provision and the implications of future cost pressures including the National Living Wage. The Review was described as “thorough and wide ranging” by the National Audit Office. Under our new early years national funding formula, we are allocating funding fairly and transparently, so that early years providers can deliver free childcare on a sustainable and high-quality basis in all areas of England. We have also legislated to ensure that local authorities pass on at least 93% of their Government funding to early years providers. Providers in the vast majority of local authorities will have seen funding increases this year and we are also providing guidance, tools and support for providers to help make their businesses more sustainable and efficient. Our recently published independent evaluation of the early rollout of 30 hours childcare programme shows that over 80% of providers were willing and able to offer the extended hours. The report is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-rollout-of-30-hours-free-childcare-evaluation.

Pre-school Education: Teachers

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made from the Childcare and early years providers survey of 2016 referred to in the Early Years Workforce Strategy of March 2017 of the proportion of early years educators who have neither English nor mathematics GCSE at A* to C.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The proportion of early educators who have a qualification at level 3 and also have GCSE mathematics and English (or equivalents) is shown in Table 11 of the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2016, which is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2016.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason eligibility codes for 30 hours of free childcare have not been validated after parents have received them.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We would not expect all of the 30 hours codes generated by the childcare service to be validated.[1] The system generates codes for younger children who will become eligible in the spring term. This is to give parents ample time to reserve their childcare place. These parents may not yet have taken their code to their provider to be validated. The system also generates codes for 4- and 5-year old children, as some parents may wish to defer entry to school and use a 30 hours code in a private, voluntary or independent provider. However, the vast majority of 4- and 5-year-old children will be in state-funded reception places and will not need to use the 30 hours code. We would expect the number of codes validated to continue to increase as term-time providers have reopened after the summer. [1] The childcare service is a joint application system for Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare. 30 hours codes are generated for all successful applications for children within the following age range: 2 years and 36 weeks to 5 years and 22 weeks.

ICT: Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools teach computing at key stage 3.

Nick Gibb: We do not hold data on the number of schools that teach computing at Key Stage 3. Computing is compulsory at Key Stage 3 in state maintained schools. Academies and free schools do not have to follow the National Curriculum, but may still offer computing as part of their own curriculum and may use the computing curriculum as a benchmark. We do hold Key Stage 4 data. In 2016, 62,703 pupils entered the Computer studies/Computing in GCSE[1], with entries in 2,405 schools[2].  [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2015-to-2016 (Subject time series table). [2] Based on Key stage 4 qualification and subject data, available at: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/download-data.

Foster Care

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people in England are registered as foster carers; and how many of those registered foster carers do not have a placement.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many directions of improvement to local authority children's services departments have been issued in each year since 2010; and what the length of time each of those local authorities was issued with that direction.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children are awaiting for a foster care placement in England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to you and a copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Sign Language: GCSE

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will encourage exam boards to offer GCSEs in British Sign Language.

Nick Gibb: At present, there are no plans to introduce any further GCSEs beyond those to which the Government has already committed.

STEM Subjects: Higher Education

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will extend the number of courses covered by the exemption to the Equivalent Level Qualification rules to include full-time undergraduate STEM courses.

Joseph Johnson: Access to fee and maintenance loans from the Student Loan Company (SLC) is currently restricted for students wishing to study qualifications that are at an equivalent or lower level to those which they already hold. These are known as Equivalent or Lower Qualifications (ELQ). There are exemptions to these restrictions, including from 2017/18 for all part-time STEM degree courses (which had been eligible for fee support only). Full-time STEM student numbers increased between 2003 and 2015, in some cases dramatically (notably in Biological Sciences by 87%, Maths by 78% and Physical Sciences by 77%). Across most STEM subjects, levels of sustained employment have also grown either in line with the average or above the average, and average earnings have increased by well above the 11% graduate average. Evidence suggests the last round of Government capital funding for STEM higher education has led to increases in provision. We will be carefully monitoring the impact of lifting the ELQ exemption for part-time STEM courses in the context of our assessments of higher education STEM and demand overall.

Free School Meals

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne, (b) the North East and (c) England were entitled to receive free school meals in each of the last seven years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Figures on the proportion of children eligible for free school meals are published annually for all authorities and regions in England. The figures can be found in the statistical first releases, which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.

Free School Meals

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the proportion of infant pupils in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne, (b) the North East and (c) England who would currently be entitled to receive free school meals under the pre-universal free school meals system.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The proportion of pupils eligible for, and claiming, free school meals under the pre-universal free school meals system is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017.

Educational Institutions: Insulation

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) further education colleges which are clad in flammable substances.

Nick Gibb: The Government is taking the impact from the tragic Grenfell Tower fire very seriously. Building owners across the public sector estate have been contacted to ensure any risks are managed and dealt with appropriately and promptly. As set out in our anouncement of 13 July, we have contacted all bodies responsible for fire safety – including in schools and FE colleges - instructing them to carry out checks to identify any buildings which may require further investigation.Two schools to date – one a secondary school, one a primary special school - where Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding has been identified and tested, have been alerted to the results. Five FE colleges have been identified as having ACM cladding – in one case, the building affected is shared with a university.All these school and college buildings have been inspected by the Fire and Rescue Service - who confirmed appropriate measures are in place to mitigate the risks from potential fire. The buildings have now been declared safe for use. We are continuing to work closely with the schools concerned to support them and ensure all the necessary steps are taken to ensure the continued safety of the buildings.

Free School Meals: Stockton North

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an estimate of how many families in Stockton North constituency would be entitled to free school meals under the pre-universal free school meals system; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The proportion of pupils eligible for, and claiming, free school meals under the pre-universal free school meals system is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017Data is not summarised by parliamentary constituency. Data for each school is, however, available via the link to underlying tables (quoted above). then entering the file named ‘Schools_Pupils_UD’.The relevant figures can be filtered by school phase, school type and parliamentary constituency.

English Language and Literature: Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools and examination boards on whether English language and English literature should be (a) taught, (b) examined and (c) reflected in school tables separately; and what the practice is of state schools.

Nick Gibb: Schools have the freedom to plan their curriculum time to best meet the need of their pupils and it is the decision of individual schools whether English language and English literature are taught separately or together.The Department believes that the two subjects should be examined separately as the previous combined English GCSE did not allow pupils to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding in either English language or English literature in sufficient depth or breadth.English language and English literature are counted separately in the performance tables as separate qualifications. In 2016, Progress 8 was introduced as a headline measure of secondary school performance to compare the progress pupils make across eight subjects. Progress 8 focuses on an academic core, and both English language and English literature can be double weighted to signify their importance. In order to qualify for double weighting in English, a pupil needs to be entered to sit both GCSE English language and GCSE English literature. If a pupil sits both qualifications, the highest grade achieved in either GCSE English language or GCSE English literature will be double weighted for the English element of Progress 8.

Education: Standards

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment she has made of the levels of educational attainment in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) England.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes information related to attainment at a national, regional and local authority level across Key stages 2 and 4 and for 16-18 year olds. The most recent data can be found at the following links:Key Stage 2:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-2-2017-provisionalKey Stage 4 (GCSEs)https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2015-to-2016and A-level and other 16 to 18 resultshttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results-2015-to-2016-revised.

Teachers: Training

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers have been trained to teach the computing curriculum; and what the average length and cost was of such training.

Nick Gibb: Statistics regarding the number of trainees completing Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in Computing can be found in tables 6 and 6a of the ITT Performance Profiles: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-performance-profiles-2015-to-2016.Postgraduate ITT programmes typically last for one year full time, and undergraduate programmes for three or four years full time.The Government offers bursaries of £25,000 to postgraduate Computing trainee teachers with at least a 2:2 degree, and these trainees are also able to access student finance including tuition fee loans. We provide funding of up to £23,900 to schools which employ Computing trainee teachers on the School Direct (salaried) route.

Children: Day Care

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people and what proportion of eligible families in each local authority area registered for the 30 hours of free childcare for three and four-year olds by 1 September 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The national rollout of 30 hours free childcare marks the delivery of a manifesto commitment that will help hundreds of thousands of hard working families. The childcare service online application has been working well for the vast majority of parents and over 216,384 valid 30 hours codes have been generated by successful applications, reaching our target for 1st September. As of 6th September, 152,829 eligibility codes for 30 hours free childcare have been validated. These are eligibility codes that were issued by 31st August and validated by 5th September for children aged three by 31st August 2017. It is the responsibility of local authorities to assess supply and demand of free entitlement places at a local level.

Children: Day Care

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many providers registered to deliver the 30 hours of free childcare for three and four-year olds by 1 September 2017; and what assessment she has made of whether the number of registered providers is sufficient to meet demand.

Mr Robert Goodwill: 30 hours free childcare is delivered by providers who are registered with Ofsted. Ofsted publishes a regular series of statistics relating to registration on its website. The latest information on registered providers was published on 14 June - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/early-years-and-childcare-statistics. Since 30 hours has only just been introduced nationally, we do not know how many providers intend to deliver the entitlement at this stage. However, our evaluation of the early rollout of 30 hours in four local authorities indicated that over 80% of providers delivering the free entitlement were willing and able to deliver the extended hours -https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642007/Evaluation_of_early_rollout_of_30-hours_free_childcare.pdf.

Pre-school Education: Staff

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 17 of the Early Years Workforce Strategy, published in March 2017, what progress her Department has made on conducting a feasibility study into growing the graduate early years workforce in disadvantaged areas.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are considering a range of approaches to increasing the number of graduates employed in the early years sector, but work is still underway. We will engage the sector in exploring ways to target support where it is most needed. We continue to support graduates into the sector through our funding of the Early Years Initial Teacher Training programme, including bursaries and employer incentives.  To Note:Further information about Early Years Initial Teacher Training is available at:https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/explore-my-options/become-an-early-years-teacher.

Adult Education: Finance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she and her officials had with learndirect Ltd on the withdrawal of its submitted bid for the Adult Education budget procurement for 2017-18.

Anne Milton: Education and Skills Funding Agency officials have had regular discussions with Learndirect over the last year on a wide range of financial, contractual and quality issues. The Department’s priority is to protect learners and users of other services run by Learndirect. Once Learndirect made the decision to withdraw from the Adult Education Budget (AEB) procurement, they were informed that they would be treated in the same way as other providers who have not been awarded a contract as a result of the AEB procurement. This includes a clear contractual end date for provision, which is 31 July 2018.

Children: Day Care

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the number of childcare providers and childminders in each local authority area who cannot cover their costs in delivering the 30 hours of free childcare for three and four-year olds.

Mr Robert Goodwill: 30 hours is already working in practice. The independent evaluation of early roll out areas found over 80% of providers are willing and able to offer extended hours places. The Government is investing £1 billion of extra funding every year in early years entitlements. That includes £300 million per year to increase the national average funding rate. This investment is based on the Cost of Childcare review, which was described as “thorough and wide ranging” by the National Audit Office. Recently published research into the cost of childcare conducted by Frontier Economics shows that the Government’s new funding rates compare very favourably with the average hourly cost of providing childcare to a three or four year old.

Children: Day Care

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of childcare and early years education settings that (a) are charging supplements, (b) are charging for items that they did not previously charge for in order to make up a shortfall in funding they receive and (c) have raised costs for two-year olds to cross-subsidise for three and four-year olds in order to deliver the 30 hours of free childcare for three and four-year olds.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Our statutory guidance and operational guidance are clear that government funding is intended to deliver 15 or 30 hours a week of free, high-quality, flexible childcare. The funding is not intended to cover the costs of meals, other consumables, additional hours or additional services.Consequently providers can, and should, feel free to charge parents for meals, consumables (such as nappies and sun cream) and for additional activities (such as trips). Parents must not, however, be required to pay any fee as a condition of taking up a free entitlement place, and must be offered alternative options.Where a parent chooses to pay for these it is a private matter between the provider and the parent. Our guidance does not address how providers operate their private businesses over and above a child’s free hours. So charges for other age groups are solely an arrangement between the provider and the parent.The evaluation of early delivery areas found that providers were willing and able to offer 30 hours and that, parents were not deterred from taking up their place by additional charges.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Careers and Enterprise Company on providing careers education to more schools than the 1,700 that have signed up for the scheme to date.

Anne Milton: The Department works with the Careers & Enterprise Company and I met with representatives of The Company recently. We will increase the quality and coverage of careers and enterprise provision in schools and colleges through use of the Enterprise Adviser Network, improving connections between schools, colleges and employers and raising the aspirations of young people. The Network has now grown to over 1,800 schools and colleges across England, over 50% of all mainstream secondary schools. By the end of the year, we aim for over 2,000 secondary schools and colleges to be signed up to the Enterprise Adviser Network.

Secure Accommodation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secure children's homes are registered in England; how many places are available in such homes; and how many such facilities have closed since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number of secure children's homes registered in England as at 31 March 2017, along with how many places are available in such homes and how many such homes have closed since 2010, are available within Table 3 of the ‘Children accommodated in secure children's homes: 31 March 2017’ statistical first release, available on the Department’s website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-accommodated-in-secure-childrens-homes-31-march-2017.

Children: Day Care

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that childcare providers are not charging parents for extra services in order to access the 30 hours of free childcare.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Government funding is intended to deliver 30 hours a week of free, high quality, flexible childcare. It is not, however, intended to cover the costs of meals, other consumables, additional hours or additional services. Providers can, and should, therefore, feel free to charge parents for meals, consumables (such as nappies and sun cream) and for additional activities (such as trips). Parents must not, however, be required to pay any fee as a condition of taking up a free entitlement place, and must be offered alternative options.Our guidance is clear that local authorities are responsible for ensuring that all eligible children can take up their place free of charge and that providers’ charging policies enable this. The guidance is also clear that all parents should have the same rights to access a free entitlement place, regardless of whether they choose to pay for additional hours of provision, additional activities or meals.Local authorities must enter into arrangements with childcare providers for the delivery of free early education places to ensure the providers comply with legislative requirements. The local authority is not required to fund a provider that is unwilling to accept these requirements. It is therefore the duty of the local authority to ensure that providers are not charging parents inappropriately.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) the Student Loans Company on graduate student loan overpayments.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Education works closely with HM Revenue and Customs and the Student Loans Company (SLC) on all aspects of the operation of the student loan repayment system, including the issue of over-repayments made at the end of a borrower’s loan term. There is already a scheme in place to help prevent borrowers over-repaying at the end of their loan terms. SLC tells borrowers up to two years before they are due to finish repaying their loans that they may complete their loan repayments by direct debit, rather than through the tax system. Borrowers who take up the option to repay by direct debit do not over-repay their loans. Any borrower who has over-repaid after repaying their loan balance in full can contact SLC to have the money refunded to them.

Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education: Public Appointments

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects to appoint a permanent chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

Anne Milton: The Institute for Apprenticeships is responsible for appointing its Chief Executive in consultation with the Secretary of State for Education, and the Institute remains committed to filling the post as soon as possible.Peter Lauener is the first Chief Executive for the Institute and an experienced senior leadership team supports him. Mr Lauener will remain in post until the new Chief Executive is appointed to ensure continuity of leadership.

Overseas Students

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the removal of international students from net migration statistics.

Joseph Johnson: My officials and I regularly engage with the Home Office on international students. EU and international students make a great contribution to the UK and our world-class HE sector both economically and culturally, contributing an estimated £11.1bn to the UK economy in 2014. There’s no limit on the number of genuine international students who can study here and we have no plans to limit any institution’s ability to recruit them.

Universities: Student Wastage

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the recent report by the Social Market Foundation, On course for success? student retention at university, if she will make an assessment of the finding that black students are 50 per cent more likely to drop out of university than white students.

Joseph Johnson: This Government is committed to widening participation to higher education for students from disadvantaged and under-represented groups.Application rates to higher education by disadvantaged 18-year-olds in England are at record levels and retention rates for Black and Minority Ethnicity (BME) students are higher than they were in 2010. Gaps in retention between black and white students have also narrowed. According to Higher Education Funding Council for England’s (HEFCE) published statistics[1], black entrants in 2009/10 were 1.7 times more likely that white entrants to leave before their second year. For entrants in 2014/15 this gap has fallen to 1.5. But we recognise that there is a difference in attainment and retention for BME students which is why this Government has put in place actions to make further progress. Retention rates is a core metric of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). The TEF explicitly assesses providers on how well they are delivering positive outcomes for students from disadvantaged and BME groups and this is reflected in the rating that providers receive. In addition, the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 requires institutions to publish admissions and retention data by gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background. This greater transparency will shine a spotlight on those higher education institutions that need to go further and faster to widening participation in higher education. The new regulatory framework for higher education and the Office for Students (OfS) will put students at the heart of the OfS’ remit. The OfS will have a statutory duty to promote equality of opportunity in the access and then success of disadvantaged and BME groups. This includes non-continuation and attainment levels of students from those backgrounds.   [1] http://www.hefce.ac.uk/analysis/ncr/ ‘Non-continuation rates: trends and profiles’.

Students: Housing

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of fire safety standards in university halls of residence.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education sector is taking this issue very seriously. The Department has had a very positive and comprehensive response from all of the 238 HEFCE-funded providers and designated Alternative Providers. All providers have been tested where necessary. Where issues have been identified providers have been quick to respond to protect the safety of students. Officials will continue to work with those in the Department for Communities and Local Government reviewing private student accommodation.

Students: Loans

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of student loan debt on the level of university applications and drop-out rates.

Joseph Johnson: The student finance system is financially sustainable and has enabled record numbers of students from disadvantaged backgrounds to benefit from higher education. Latest data show that 18 year olds applied at record rates in 2017, and their application rates have increased for five years in a row. This is also true for the most disadvantaged 18 year olds. Non-continuation rates for UK students at English Higher Education Institutions are lower than in 2009/10, including for young, mature, disadvantaged and BME students.

Apprentices: Females

Lucy Frazer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that women can access high-quality apprenticeships.

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that women can access high-quality apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: Women have accounted for the majority of apprenticeship starts in recent years - 52.8 per cent in 2015/16. But we know there are gender representation disparities in some sectors. We are addressing this proactively through our Diversity Champions Network, by taking part in the 2018 Year of Engineering campaign and other Government actions.

Teachers: Labour Turnover

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the retention of teachers.

Nick Gibb: The 2016 School Workforce Census shows teacher retention rates have remained stable for teachers over the first five years of their careers. We recognised the problem of unnecessary workload when we launched the Workload Challenge in 2014. Our responses to this and the 2016 Teacher Workload Survey set out comprehensive programmes of action to be taken. We continue our extensive work with the profession, teaching unions and Ofsted to support the retention of teachers.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food Supply

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will repeat the 2010 Food Security Assessment to inform thinking on the forthcoming Agriculture Bill.

George Eustice: We have already undertaken to review the UK Food Security Assessment. The Assessment covers all aspects of food security including international trade and global resource sustainability, so the scope is much wider than purely domestic production. The 2009/10 review concluded that we have a high degree of food security in the UK.

Water Abstraction

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's policy is on preventing incidences of rivers drying up as a result of unsustainable water abstraction.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Since 2008 the Environment Agency has made changes to over 270 abstraction licences to prevent over 27 billion litres of water per year being removed from the environment. This is enough water to supply half a million people, with water for one year. The government is updating its plan for managing abstraction and will publish in due course.

Road Works: Air Pollution

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether research has been undertaken by the Government to examine the effect on air quality of roadworks; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government has not conducted research specifically on the impact of roadworks on air quality. However, we recognise that while they are being carried out, roadworks can lead to congestion, which impacts on air quality as well as on people’s journeys. There are also emissions from the machinery used to carry out roadworks.

Cats

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what policies his Department has put in place (a) for the capture and relocation of feral cats, (b) to tackle the overpopulation of feral cats and (c) to reduce the spread of diseases by feral cats.

George Eustice: Significant animal welfare concerns have not been raised with the Government in relation to feral cats although other concerns may apply. The Government considers that local authorities are best placed to consider local issues relating to the capture and relocation of feral cats. The Government strongly advises all cat owners to microchip their cats so that if their cats become lost or displaced there will be a much better chance that they will be re-united and not join the feral population. The Government recommends that owners should neuter their cats if they do not intend to breed from them, and ensure that they have appropriate inoculations as advised by a vet. These actions will help to reduce the chances of cats becoming stray and adding to the feral population, and should help reduce the spread of disease. In addition, some animal welfare charities run neutering schemes for feral cats to prevent their numbers increasing and spreading disease.

Dangerous Dogs: Cardiff Central

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that dangerous dogs in Cardiff Central constituency are chipped.

George Eustice: As of 6 April 2016 all dogs in Great Britain had to be identified by a microchip and registered on a database. We estimate that over 94% of dogs in Great Britain are microchipped. More broadly in relation to controlling dangerous dogs, it is a criminal offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control with a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment in the case of an attack resulting in the death of a person; 5 years’ imprisonment in the case of an injury to a person; and 3 years’ imprisonment in the case of an attack on an assistance dog. In addition, police and local authorities can issue Community Protection Notices to owners of dogs involved low level dog nuisance incidents allowing intervention before a dog becomes dangerously out of control. Failure to comply with such notices can result in a fine of up to £2,500.

Seasonal Workers: Scotland

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions officials of his Department have had with industry leaders on the demand for seasonal agricultural workers in Scotland after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Defra officials are having ongoing discussions with a range of industry stakeholders across the UK about securing the seasonal workforce needed in the future. Following the decision to close the SAWS in 2013, Defra established the SAWS Transition Working Group, now called the Seasonal Workforce Working Group. This group meets regularly and brings industry and government together to monitor the seasonal labour situation across the UK. I attended the most recent meeting on 7th September, which included organisations covering the UK.

Rowanoak Waste Services: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 25 July 2017 to Questions 5342, 5394, 5395 and 5396, what the reasons are for the time taken by the Environment Agency to deal with the site operated by Rowan Oak Waste at Shaw Road in Dudley.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 25 July 2017 to Questions 5342, 5394, 5395 and 5396, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Environment Agency in dealing with the site operated by Rowan Oak Waste at Shaw Road in Dudley; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 25 July 2017 to Questions 5342, 5394, 5395 and 5396, what the reasons are for the time taken by the Environment Agency to deal with the site operated by Rowan Oak Waste at Shaw Road in Dudley.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency revoked the operator’s permit in April 2016 and served notice against the operator to clear the site by 16 September 2016. When the operator failed to clear the site the Environment Agency started a formal investigation to take firm enforcement action against the operator. Investigations at this level can take some time to complete as the Environment Agency wants to build the best and strongest case against an offender, particularly if an investigation is complex as for the site operated by Rowan Oak Waste at Shaw Road in Dudley. During the investigation the Environment Agency has also been working hard to get the landowner to take responsibility for clearing the waste. By 5 September 2017, 290 tonnes of waste have been removed with the Environment Agency making sure that all waste leaving the site is disposed of legitimately. The case is currently being reviewed by the Environment Agency legal team and once this review has been completed the Environment Agency will be taking the next step towards appropriate enforcement action against the operator.

Agricultural Products: Databases

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is the Government's policy to seek to remain part of the TRACES online management tool after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Government is negotiating our exit from the European Union. Defra is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union to look at future arrangements including for the UK’s system for the management of agri-food imports and exports.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Cycling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants in his Department made use of a cycle-to-work scheme in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: The table below shows the number of staff in the core-Department who made use of the cycle-to-work scheme in each of the last five calendar years. Year20132014201520162017No. of staff5256594125

Air Pollution

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which local authorities breached legal air quality limits in the last year.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra assesses compliance against EU air quality limit values for 43 regional zones and agglomerations across the UK. The compliance assessment is contained in the annual compliance reports which are accessible on the UK-AIR website: uk-air.defra.gov.uk. We do not hold compliance data at local authority level. Air quality data from Defra’s national monitoring network is routinely published on the UK-AIR website and can be searched by location. In addition, many local authorities monitor air quality at local level and make this data available.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Welsh Language

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which of his Department's online services are available in the Welsh language only on request.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government is committed to ensuring that the needs of Welsh language speakers are recognised and met, and to enabling Welsh speakers to interact fully with its services. The Welsh Language Act does not require government departments to prepare Welsh Language Schemes. However, the Government aims to provide services in Welsh when it is both appropriate and reasonably practicable to do so.This department has provided publications on GOV.UK in both English and Welsh including the White Paper on the United Kingdom’s exit from and new partnership with the European Union and the White Paper on Legislating for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to paragraph 6 of the Government's policy paper entitled, Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June 2017, whether EU family dependents of UK citizens who return to the UK after the specified date will be subject to the immigration rules in respect of their family members; and whether there will be different rules in relation to EU and non-EU national family members.

Mr Robin Walker: As set out in the Government policy paper of 26 June Safeguarding the position of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU, we want to provide as much certainty as possible to the three million EU citizens in the UK and around one million UK nationals in the EU, and for their lives to continue broadly as now. The precise rules around family reunion will be a matter for negotiations.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to paragraph 42 of the Government's policy paper entitled Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June 2017, whether UK citizens and their family members covered by EC Regulation 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems who, at the date of entry into force of the Withdrawal Agreement, are in receipt of exportable benefits such as attendance allowance, carer's allowance, disability living allowance or winter fuel payments will continue to enjoy receipt of those benefits; and whether after the date of entry into force of the Withdrawal Agreement, any new claimants from UK citizens living and working in the EU will have their eligibility for those exportable benefits continued indefinitely.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government has made clear in its offer on Citizens’ Rights that it intends to protect the right of UK nationals and EU migrants already exporting a benefit at the specified date to continue to be able to export that benefit when the UK exits the EU, subject to on-going entitlement to the benefit.In most cases, UK nationals in other EU Member States are currently entitled to receive benefits from the country in which they are living and working. What happens to these arrangements after exit is a matter to be discussed with our EU partners.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 5539, whether the UK will continue to aggregate periods of relevant insurance, work or residence within the EU accrued after exit, for those who entered into such arrangements before the specified date.

Mr Robin Walker: During the August negotiation round, we agreed that contributions before and after exit will be recognised for those covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.We have discussed EU social security coordination rules with the EU during the July and August negotiation rounds. The progress of these discussions has been set out in the published joint comparison table. It can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/641334/2017-08-30_-_EU_UK_Comparison_Table_CR_AUGUST_day_2_FINAL_AGREED_VERSION_AGREED_with_Cion_V2.2.pdf



August joint comparison table
(PDF Document, 157.59 KB)

European Communities Act 1972

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the number of statutory instruments introduced under Section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 that (a) are in force, (b) have been superseded and (c) have been amended.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government’s White Paper 'Legislating for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union', quotes research from the House of Commons Library which indicates that there have been around 7,900 statutory instruments which have implemented EU legislation. This figure does not include statutory instruments made by the devolved administrations which will also observe and implement EU obligations in areas within their competence. The Department has identified 6,441 statutory instruments made under the European Communities Act 1972. As part of this exercise the department did not record the number of SIs that had been superseded or amended as this information was not relevant to the work needed on correcting the statute book.Departments are working through their own statute book to determine where corrections may need to be made once the EU law has been converted into UK domestic law.

Arts: Free Movement of People

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 30 January 2017, Official Report, HL778, column 971, whether the Government plans to secure free movement on the same terms as currently exist for all people connected with the arts after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: We recognise that many British citizens may wish to live and work in the EU after the UK’s exit. We are carefully considering our options and the potential impacts they may have on different categories of people. We will publish our proposals and discuss these arrangements with the EU in due course.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which EU legislation within his Department's responsibilities will (a) be incorporated into UK law through the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill and (b) require to be amended under powers in that Bill.

Mr Steve Baker: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before.The Government is still making a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Government’s current estimate is that we will need to make between 800 and 1,000 statutory instruments to make exit a reality in UK law.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many times his Department raised the issue of the co-ordination of social security entitlements for people moving within the EU during the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: We have discussed EU social security coordination rules with the EU during the July and August negotiation rounds. The progress of these discussions has been set out in the published joint comparison table. It can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/641334/2017-08-30_-_EU_UK_Comparison_Table_CR_AUGUST_day_2_FINAL_AGREED_VERSION_AGREED_with_Cion_V2.2.pdf



August joint comparison table
(PDF Document, 157.59 KB)

Government Departments: Arms Length External Organisations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many new arm's-length bodies across the whole of government he expects will need to be created when the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK’s relationship with the EU's agencies upon exit will be evaluated in light of delivering the twelve objectives outlined by the Prime Minister to achieve a deep and special partnership between the UK and the EU. The UK’s future relationship with the EU's decentralised bodies after leaving the EU is a matter for the negotiations.Prior to any decisions on establishing new agencies, the Government will, however, always look to minimise disruption and costs, which will include considering alternative options.

Consumers

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many times he has (a) invited and (b) met with consumer groups to discuss negotiations on the UK leaving the EU and their implications for consumers in the UK.

Mr Steve Baker: As part of our commitment to hear from every sector and region in the UK, Ministers and officials in the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) and across government, have spoken to a range of civil society organisations, including consumer groups. Ministers and officials from DExEU have met organisations including Which?, Money Saving Expert, the British Retail Consortium and Citizens Advice, and as part of our programme of cross-Whitehall engagement, we have plans to host a roundtable with consumer groups. We will draw on their expertise, understand their perspectives and work with them to test and validate positions as we prepare to leave the European Union.

Attorney General

Law: Education

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to improve public legal education.

Robert Buckland: In July, I launched a Public Legal Education panel to support and drive forward legal education initiatives. Bringing together key organisations will mean a more joined up approach to Public Legal Education and will ensure that more people can reap the benefits of the good work being done.

Wales Office

INTERREG Programme: Brexit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what representations he has made to the Department for Exiting the European Union on continuation of interreg funding for Wales in partnership with Ireland.

Alun Cairns: The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and I have regular discussions on a range of issues, as do officials from our respective departments.There may be specific European programmes in which we might want to participate and if so, it will be reasonable that we make a contribution.

Sports: Children

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on increasing participation rates of Welsh children in sport.

Alun Cairns: The UK Government is keen to encourage any schemes which help to increase participation rates of children in sport. However this is a devolved issue in Wales and therefore the responsibility of the Welsh Government.

Sports: Children

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the adequacy of provision of sport in (a) Gower constituency and (b) Wales to tackle mental health issues in primary school-aged children.

Alun Cairns: The UK Government is keen to encourage any schemes which will increase the participation rates of children in sport and which may also help to tackle mental health issues. However, both of these matters are devolved and therefore the responsibility of the Welsh Government.

Public Expenditure: Wales

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the effect of Northern Ireland's additional funding on the operation of the Barnett Formula.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Barnett consequential funding since the Government announced separate additional funding for Northern Ireland.

Alun Cairns: The procedure for funding the devolved administrations is set out in the Statement of Funding Policy; the Barnett Formula applies to changes in UK Government spend on devolved matters in England. The decision to allocate extra resource to Northern Ireland has resulted in no change to UK Government spend in England and therefore there are no Barnett consequentials. A new fiscal framework was agreed with the Welsh Government in December 2016, which enhanced Wales funding settlement.

Wales Office: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many applications his Department has received for (a) internal loans and (b) secondments from civil servants in each year since 2010.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right and does not hold this information. The Ministry of Justice carries out recruitment on our behalf and collates this information centrally.

Wales Office: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether requests for consultancy and temporary staff for the his Department must be accompanied by a formal business case.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office requires a formal business case to support requests for consultancy and temporary staff. A formal business case is not required for the short-term appointment of agency staff to business critical posts pending a permanent appointment being made.

Wales Office: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what proportion of requests for consultancy and temporary staff for his Department were approved via a resource board.

Alun Cairns: Requests for consultancy and temporary staff would be considered by the Wales Office Board. The short-term appointment of agency staff to business critical posts may be approved by the Wales Office Director.

Wales Office: Consultants

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what proportion of consultancy assignments procured by his Department are paid at a daily rate.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office uses Ministry of Justice policies and systems to procure consultancy services and does not pay daily rates for those services.

Wales Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, which EU legislation within his Department's responsibilities will (a) be incorporated into UK law through the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill and (b) require to be amended under powers in that Bill.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office has no EU legislation within its responsibilities.

Ministry of Justice

Rape

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 to limit the cross-examination of rape victims about their sexual history.

Dominic Raab: The Attorney General and the previous Justice Secretary committed to look at how section 41 is operating in practice. MoJ keep all areas of criminal justice procedure under ongoing review.

Prisons: Training

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what occupational training is available for prisoners; what the criteria are for subscribing to such training; and to what degree any training is oversubscribed.

Mr Sam Gyimah: There is a wide range of occupational training available to prisoners. The prison governor works with their education provider to put in place education and training based on the needs of learners in the establishment and the skills in demand by employers in the areas to which prisoners will be released.Prisoners are allocated to relevant education and training based on an assessment of their learning needs and in response to information advice and guidance by a National Careers Service adviser. Allocation to education and training takes account of career aspirations, as well as sentence plans, to ensure that interventions are appropriately prioritised and sequenced with other rehabilitation activities. Individual prisons may also apply their own local criteria.We do not collect data centrally on the number of courses that are oversubscribed.As set out in the White Paper, “Prison Safety and Reform” published in November 2016, we are empowering prison governors to decide how their establishment’s learning offer is arranged, what curriculum is put in place and who delivers the education and training.

Prisons: Education

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether there is a national curriculum for prison education.

Mr Sam Gyimah: There is currently no national education curriculum for prison education, but work is in hand to introduce a core common curriculum across the prison estate, focusing on maths and English, and using the same awarding bodies for particular types of provision so those starting a course at one prison can bank and build on their progress if they move elsewhere. The curriculum for each prison in England is agreed locally by the prison governor with their Offender Learning and Skills Service provider, drawing from a range of provision that the provider is required to offer.In October 2016, we introduced changes to the prison education funding rules to give prison governors more authority to put in place education that meets the needs of prisoners in their establishment. Education Delivery Plans for the academic year that commenced on 1 August 2017 are wholly based on those new funding rules and flexibilities, enabling governors to commission delivery of training that meets more effectively the needs of employers in the areas to which prisoners will be released. As set out in the White Paper, “Prison Safety and Reform” published in November 2016, we are extending governor control still further. Prison governors will be fully responsible for education provision in their prisons once existing contracts end, commissioning the services they think are most appropriate in their individual prison.

Prisons: Education

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent on education services in prisons over the last two years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The spend on offender learning in England was £145.2m in the 2015-16 financial year and £146.7m in 2016-17. These figures exclude a number of private prisons where the operator is responsible for providing education under their contract with Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service.As we announced in last November’s White Paper, we will devolve responsibility for prison education budgets to governors, empowering them to decide how education is organised, what curriculum is delivered and who provides the education.

Prisoners: Bank Services

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that all prisoners are able to open a bank account.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners (a) had and (b) have not had a bank account in each year since 2010.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have left prison without a bank account in each year since 2010.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the rehabilitation of prisoners of not having a bank account.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training his Department provides to prison officers to assist prisoners in the opening of bank accounts.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with banks, building societies and savings co-operatives on the introduction of a scheme to help offenders open bank accounts.

Mr Sam Gyimah: HMPPS coordinates the Offender Banking Programme in England and Wales which runs in partnership with 6 major UK commercial banks and a leading Building Society in order to give offenders who are soon to be released from custody the opportunity to apply for a basic bank account. Having access to a bank account is vital for access to benefits and to receive pay from employment on release, a key element in helping with the rehabilitation of offenders.There are currently 101 prison-bank partnerships, the most recent partnership being made with HMP Berwyn, a large new public sector prison which opened earlier this year. Every resettlement prison has a relationship with a specific bank who offer direct support and guidance on their specific processes to prison staff to enable the opening of accounts.On arrival in to custody, staff complete a Basic Custody Screening Tool and information from this indicates that 71% of prisoners have bank accounts. HMPPS does not keep a record of those who have left prison without a bank account. However, around 5,000 accounts per year are opened under the programme. The banks report a high percentage of those accounts subsequently being activated and used on release.

Rape: Trials

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of rape victims who were cross-examined about their sexual history during cases tried in the last three years.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is not held centrally.

Fines: Surcharges

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted of offences of violence against women and girls have been ordered to pay compensation into the Victim Surcharge Fund in each of the last three years; and how many of those offenders (a) paid in full, (b) paid in part and (c) failed to pay.

Dominic Raab: All convicted adult offenders are ordered to pay victim surcharge.It is not possible to identify how many individuals, either convicted for a specific offence or in total, paid victim surcharge in full, part paid or did not pay at all in any specific year without incurring disproportionate costs.

Prisons: Drugs

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support is provided to prisoners who have an addiction to new psychoactive substances.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the increase in the use of new psychoactive substances in prisons on reoffending rates.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many new psychoactive substances have been confiscated in each prison in each of the last 12 months.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman on deaths of prisoners in custody as both a direct and indirect result of new psychoactive substances.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many dogs trained to detect new psychoactive substances are deployed at each prison.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have undergone mandatory testing for new psychoactive substances since the introduction of testing for such substances.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to expand drug testing from substances listed for testing to substances that fall under the definition of a psychoactive substance.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether additional funding is available to prisons to prevent further increases in the use of new psychoactive substances.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training is provided to prison officers to identify and deal with prisoners' use of new psychoactive substances.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) takes seriously the ongoing challenges that substance misuse, including psychoactive substances (PS) pose to our establishments and we continue to implement a range of measures to address both the availability and use of such harmful substances. This is based on a multi-agency approach working closely with health partners and law enforcement agencies.We welcome the work that the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has done to draw further attention to the role that psychoactive substances have played in a number of deaths in prison custody, and the lessons from his investigations into these cases are informing our programme of work to prevent self-inflicted deaths in custody and to improve safety in prisons more generally.We have not made an assessment of the impact of PS on reoffending, but know that that substance misuse more widely is associated with higher rates of reoffending.Figures drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System suggest there were just over 4000 incidents where psychoactive substances were found in prisons between August 2016 and July 2017 in England and Wales. Prisons have at their disposal a range of security measures to reduce the supply of drugs into prisons including physical searching, the use of x-ray machines, CCTV surveillance cameras, intelligence-led searches as well as drug detection dogs. HMPPS have trained more than 300 dogs to detect PS and these dogs are available to all prisons. HMPPS are also exploring additional innovative security measures and new technology to complement existing searching methods in prisons.The introduction of mandatory drug testing for psychoactive substances in prisons in September 2016 was also a significant step to support our prisons in tackling the supply and use of these lethal drugs. We are not aware of any other prison service in the world that has introduced these innovative new tests.There were 27,277 random mandatory drug tests administered between October 2016 and March 2017. Each sample taken is tested for a range of illicit drugs, including psychoactive substances. As these are random drugs tests, prisoners tested in a single month are unique, but an individual prisoner could be chosen in multiple months. Figures for 2017/18 will be published in the Annual HMPPS Digest in July 2018.We routinely and regularly conduct research to determine the range of substances in prisons to ensure that we are testing for the substances that are most commonly used.Drug treatment also plays an important role in tackling PS in prisons. Substance misuse services in England are commissioned through NHS England to provide a range of services to support recovery and rehabilitation. We work closely with health partners to tackle the harms of substance misuse, including PS and to provide staff and prisoners with the tools, support and information they need. This includes operational guidance, learning/ training days and a toolkit for clinical and operational staff and leaflets/ posters, radio campaigns and drug-related interventions for prisoners.As part of our commitments in the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper, published in November 2016, we will invest to strengthen the frontline with 2,500 additional prison officers by 2018. These new prison officers will receive dedicated substance misuse training which explains the substantial impact of drug use, particularly psychoactive substances, implementation of the Psychoactive Substance Act 2016 in prisons and insight into what they can do to prevent further PS supply and use.

Prisons: Education

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2017 to Question 3452, on prisons: education, what oversight is conducted into induction programmes in prisons; and how those programmes are quality assessed.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Induction arrangements are subject to usual management checks within prisons and are also reviewed as part of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service’s corporate assurance programme. In addition, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons looks at induction as part of its inspections.

Prisons: Smuggling

Vicky Ford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help prisons to increase levels of (a) drugs testing and (b) searches for mobile phones.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The number of mobile phones and SIM cards in prisons continues to be too high. We have purchased better quality detection equipment in larger quantities and equipped all prisons with additional portable detection devices to use across the prison. We are also working with mobile network operators to deliver ground-breaking technology to stop illicit phones working in prisons.The illicit supply of drugs undermines the safety and security of prisons. The introduction of mandatory drug testing for psychoactive substances in prisons in September 2016 was also a significant step to support our prisons in tackling the supply and use of these lethal drugs. We are not aware of any other prison service in the world that has introduced these innovative new tests.As part of our commitments in the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper, published in November 2016, we will invest to strengthen the frontline with 2,500 additional prison officers by 2018. These new prison officers will receive dedicated substance misuse training which explains the substantial impact of drug use, particularly psychoactive substances, implementation of the Psychoactive Substance Act 2016 in prisons and insight into what they can do to prevent further PS supply and use.

Young Offender Institutions: Staff

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many members of staff have been employed in each young offenders institution in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The number of staff employed in each young offenders’ institution is provided in the table below. The government has committed to recruit a net increase of 2500 prison officers by December 2018. In addition to the recruitment activity to fill these 2500 new posts, there is ongoing recruitment activity to fill current vacancies, and vacancies which arise. Number of HMPPS full time equivalent staff employed in Young People's Estate, 2010-2017  Full time equivalent staff in post as at:Establishment31 March 201031 March 201131 March 201231 March 201331 March 201431 March 201531 March 201631 March 201730 June 2017Cookham Wood211221214215181169166206206Feltham709691653618568532497461454Medway Secure Training Centre136138Werrington170180170176165188215204210Wetherby357400406397350330359339339Grand Total 1,448  1,492  1,444  1,406  1,264  1,220  1,237  1,346  1,347  Notes:The sum of staff in post figures for individual establishments may not match the grand total due to rounding.HMPPS took over the running of Medway Secure Training Centre in June 2016.

Prisons: Finance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the overall budget has been for each prison operated by (a) HM Prison Service and (b) each prison operator in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), formerly known as the National Offender Management Service, routinely publishes direct and overall resource expenditure for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales on an annual basis after the end of each financial year. The information can be accessed on the www.gov.uk website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-performance-statistics-2015-to-2016The data for the last financial year 2016-17 has not yet been finalised, and is expected to be published on 26 October 2017.

Open Prisons: Staff

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many members of staff have been employed in each open prison in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government has committed to recruit a net increase of 2500 prison officers by December 2018. In addition to the recruitment activity to fill these 2500 new posts, there is ongoing recruitment activity to fill current vacancies, and vacancies which arise. The number of staff employed in each open prison is provided in the table below. HMPPS full time equivalent staff employed in open prisons, 2010-2017:   Full time equivalent staff in post as at: 31 March 201031 March 201131 March 201231 March 201331 March 201431 March 201531 March 201631 March 201730 June 2017Askham Grange746160575956636565East Sutton Park585754534647525953Ford156153148145130125135139143Hatfield  131133133Hollesley Bay141128127133127125126127128Kirkham224237200191189187181180181Leyhill191197193189168151144147142North Sea Camp133123111122114126124120123Sudbury190168142143138145144145142Thorn Cross186176166153141142131139138Grand Total1,3511,2991,2011,1871,1111,1041,2321,2551,248

Prisons: Staff

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many members of staff have been employed in each women's prison in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The number of staff employed in each women’s prison since 2010 is provided in the table below. The government has committed to recruit a net increase of 2500 prison officers by December 2018. In addition to the recruitment activity to fill these 2500 new posts, there is ongoing recruitment activity to fill current vacancies, and vacancies which arise. Number of HMPPS full time equivalent staff employed in the Women’s Estate, 2010-2017  Full time equivalent staff in post as at: 31 March 201031 March 201131 March 201231 March 201331 March 201431 March 201531 March 201631 March 201730 June 2017Askham Grange746160575956636565Downview208207190186166133103177181Drake Hall173172164156157145152157155East Sutton Park585754534647525953Eastwood Park259255241265217228236225237Foston Hall283238179188172167194191198Holloway476443367336295287290Low Newton278277269256250238236231234New Hall366352343332302279272266264Send173179176171169170165176175Styal322306287267250242241229223Grand Total2,6692,5462,3292,2682,0831,9932,0041,7761,784 Note: HMP Holloway closed in 2016.

Road Traffic Offences: Sentencing

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review sentence levels for driving offences.

Dominic Raab: Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts working within the legal framework on offences and maximum penalties set by Parliament. A consultation on maximum penalties for driving offences resulting in death or serious injury, issued by the previous government, closed on 1 February 2017. I intend to make an announcement in due course.

Prisoners' Discharge Grants

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much, including administration costs, was spent on the Discharge Grant Scheme in the last year for which figures are available.

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many discharge grants were paid in the last year for which figures are available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The total number of Discharge Grants issued over the last financial year was 59,587 at a value of £2.7m for Public Sector Prisons. The figures have been extracted from the Prison National Offender Management Information System (P-NOMIS), which is the central prisoner information recording system. Discharge Grant data pertaining to contracted out prisons and in relation to administration costs can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Gender Recognition Act 2004

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been found guilty of offences under section 22 of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 in each year since 2004-05; and how many were fined the maximum amount stipulated for that offence.

Dominic Raab: The number of offenders found guilty at all courts for offences under S22 Gender Recognition Act 2004 is zero in England and Wales, from 2011 (earliest separately identifiable information available) to 2016.Please be aware this is on a principal offence basis. Data prior to 2011 are recorded centrally by MoJ on the Court Proceedings Database as part of a miscellaneous grouping of offences, which cannot be separately analysed.

Domestic Violence: Sentencing

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm in a domestic setting are included in sentencing guidelines as an aggravating factor.

Dominic Raab: The current overarching sentencing guideline on Domestic Violence, issued by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, applies to all offences involving domestic violence, including instances of actual and grievous bodily harm. This guideline makes it clear that the domestic setting can be considered as an aggravating factor for sentencing. In March, the Sentencing Council launched a consultation on revised guidelines for domestic abuse and intimidatory offences which ran until 30 June. Further information can be found on the Council’s website: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk The Domestic Abuse Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech, will also contain provisions to protect the victims of domestic violence and abuse.

Family Courts: Domestic Violence

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the fact that a child has witnessed domestic violence is taken into account when a family court makes directions in child contact proceedings.

Dominic Raab: The welfare of the child is the court’s paramount concern when making any decision about their upbringing, including with whom the child is to live or spend time. In all cases where a parent applies to the family court for a child arrangements order, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) in England and Cafcass Cymru in Wales undertake safeguarding checks with the police and relevant local authority children’s services. Relevant information about risk, including from domestic abuse, is reported to the court in writing prior to the first hearing to inform safe decision-making.In determining the child’s welfare needs the court will apply the factors set out in the ‘welfare checklist’ in the Children Act 1989. One of those factors concerns any harm the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering, which would include any harm from witnessing domestic abuse.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Contracts

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of payment-by-results contracts on the delivery of services by community rehabilitation companies.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The department has contracts with 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs), comprising both private and third sector organisations, who work alongside the National Probation Service (NPS) to supervise and reform offenders. These contracts contain a payment-by-results element linked to achieving reductions in reoffending.The first set of final reoffending data for which CRCs could receive payment-by-results income will be published in October 2017; thereafter data will be published quarterly.We continue to hold providers rigorously to account for their performance and are working to ensure they deliver services which reduce re-offending, protect the public and help offenders contribute to society.

G4S: Electronic Tagging

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to improve the effectiveness of G4S in delivering electronic tagging services.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Electronic monitoring services in England and Wales have been provided by Capita plc since 2013. G4S, under a contract with the Department, provide the necessary hardware (electronic tags and home monitoring units) to support the service. The Department has robust processes in place to monitor and manage contractors and will not hesitate to take action when standards fall short.

Reoffenders

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Through the Gate programme on reducing prisoner reoffending rates.

Mr Sam Gyimah: It is vital that offenders leaving prison are supported to lead successful and law-abiding lives in the community. That is why weIn 2014/15 the government reformed the probation system to strengthen its focus on reducing reoffending and protecting communities, and much progress has been made in implementing these reforms. For the first time around 40,000 offenders a year released from custodial sentences of less than 12 months are entitled to statutory support from probation on release, and new through-the-gate services have been introduced to improve the resettlement of released prisoners in the community. reformed the probation system to extend post-release supervision to all prisoners released from custody and introduce new through-the-gate resettlement services.We understand that the current delivery of through-the-gate must improve and recognise the issues raised by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspectors of Prisons and Probation in their report published in June. We are working with providers to explore improvements that could be made to the delivery of rehabilitative services, and we continue to hold providers rigorously to account for their performance to ensure they deliver services which reduce re-offending, protect the public and help offenders contribute to society.

Prisoners: Wales

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Category C prisoners are held in (a) HMP Swansea, (b) HMP Cardiff and (c) HMP Parc.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As of 30 June 2017, the number of category C prisoners at HM Prison and Young Offender Institutions Cardiff, Parc and Swansea were 440, 1,173 and 247 respectively.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have caused (a) harm to themselves, (b) harm to other prisoners and (c) harm to members of the prison service in (i) HMP Parc, (ii) HMP Bure and (iii) HMP The Mount in the past 24 months.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Safety and security in prisons is our top priority, and we take the mental health and wellbeing of prisoners and staff extremely seriously. The precise information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.There is published data on the number of self-harm incidents, assaults by prisoners on other prisoners and assaults by prisoners on staff at each prison establishment within the Safety in Custody statistics, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-march-2017

Prisons: Port Talbot

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funds he will make available to the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg to provide healthcare for prisoners in the proposed prison in Port Talbot.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of healthcare at the proposed Port Talbot prison will be provided by (a) the NHS and (b) private healthcare providers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The proposed new prison at Port Talbot is part of our plans to reform and modernise the prison estate. We will work closely with our partners in the NHS in Wales and the Welsh Government to plan for quality health services for this new prison. No decisions have yet been made on arrangements for these services.

Ministry of Justice: Arms Length External Organisations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of new arms-length bodies his Department plans to establish once the UK has left the EU.

Dominic Raab: At this stage, the MoJ has not identified the need to create any new arms-length bodies as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU.

Family Courts: Perjury

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been prosecuted for perjury in the family court in each year since 2007, by gender.

Dominic Raab: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average wait time is for personal independence payment appeals to be heard by the Courts and Tribunals Service.

Dominic Raab: The average waiting time for Personal Independence Payment appeals between April 2016 and March 2017 (the latest period for which figures are available) was 15.6 weeks.

Prisoners' Release: Greater Manchester

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of rehabilitation and support services available to people leaving prison in Greater Manchester for the last two years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: It is vital that offenders leaving prison are supported to lead successful and law-abiding lives in the community. That is why weIn 2014/15 the government reformed the probation system to strengthen its focus on reducing reoffending and protecting communities, and much progress has been made in implementing these reforms. For the first time around 40,000 offenders a year released from custodial sentences of less than 12 months are entitled to statutory support from probation on release, and new through-the-gate services have been introduced to improve the resettlement of released prisoners in the community. reformed the probation system to extend post-release supervision to all prisoners released from custody and introduce new through-the-gate resettlement services.The Cheshire and Greater Manchester CRC provides support to offenders released from prisons in Greater Manchester. We understand that the current delivery of through-the-gate service across England and Wales must improve and recognise the issues raised by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspectors of Prisons and Probation in their report published in June. We are working with providers to explore improvements that could be made to the delivery of rehabilitative services, and we continue to hold providers rigorously to account for their performance to ensure they deliver services which reduce re-offending, protect the public and help offenders contribute to society.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time was for a personal independence payment appeal to be heard in each of the last five years in each tribunal area.

Dominic Raab: The average waiting time for Personal Independence Payment appeals since the Personal Independence Payment was introduced, in each Tribunal regional area, is set out in the table below.1Average waiting times in weeks, from receipt to outcome, of Personal Independence Payment2 appeals Region2013/1432014/152015/162016/17Eng Midlands13151616Eng SE9161415Eng SW7121415Wales4131617Scotland8121413Eng NE11191917Eng NW10121617London8161415National9141616 1 Includes cases cleared with, and without, a tribunal hearing. 2 Personal Independence Payment (New Claim appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, and includes Personal Independence Payments (Reassessments). Volumes in 2013 to 2014 were very low. 3 Financial years April to March. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available.

National Probation Service for England and Wales: Oxfordshire

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the relative cost of housing compared with wages in (a) Oxford and (b) Oxfordshire on the ability of the Probation Service to recruit and retain staff.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Because of local economic factors, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire is an area in which the National Probation Service has found it difficult to recruit staff. We have therefore developed specific measures to attract additional staff and are working to ensure that existing staff are not disadvantaged. We have taken account of labour market conditions in the area to identify a competitive rate of pay to meet recruitment and retention challenges.

Legal Aid Scheme

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people in all regions can access legal aid providers.

Dominic Raab: The Legal Aid Agency regularly review the capacity of the legal aid market to cope with demand for legal aid and take urgent action where a regional shortfall develops.I also intend to look more widely at the impact of recent policy changes on access to legal aid as part of a forthcoming post-implementation review, on which I hope to say more shortly.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to increase the time for which an applicant for an employment tribunal can submit a claim to include the time when employment tribunal fees were introduced.

Dominic Raab: Anybody who was previously unable to bring proceedings because of the fees can submit an application to the Employment Tribunal to have their claim heard outside of the usual time limits. These applications will be considered by a judge on a case by case basis, applying the normal judicial tests on extensions of time. It is right that each case should be considered on its merits by the tribunal.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the value of employment tribunal fees received by the Government was since 2013.

Dominic Raab: The income from Employment Tribunal fees between 2013 and 2017 was £32m.

Prisoners: Mental Illness

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to promote, identify and treat mental health conditions in the prison population.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The department remains committed to reforming our prisons to make them safe and secure establishments with access to health, including mental health services to support the rehabilitation of offenders in custody.Health services, in English prisons are commissioned by NHS England and by Local Health Boards in Wales, informed by evidence of the need in each prison. All prisoners have an initial health screen at reception by clinical staff and may be referred for further treatment, within or outside prisons, where mental health needs are identified.Prison staff also have a critical role to play in identifying mental health needs and supporting prisoners. We are rolling out new suicide and self-harm prevention training which includes a module on mental health awareness. This is being delivered to all new prison officers as part of their entry level training (POELT), to existing prison officers, and to non-HMPPS staff who come into contact with prisoners.Alongside this, we are investing £100 million towards recruitment of 2,500 new staff, and introducing new offender management arrangements in prisons under which Key Workers will have particular responsibility for a small number of prisoners. These measures will enhance the time and resources available to support prisoners. Dedicated officers will be able to build a relationship with prisoners and be in a better position to recognise and respond to changes in their behaviour or their mental well-being.We are continuing to work with our health partners to improve our understanding of the mental health of prisoners. Since April 2017 we have launched co-commissioning, which means governors will now begin to have greater input into decision making about health provision in their prisons, enabling them to identify and work with health commissioners to contribute to the commissioning of quality healthcare services.

Knives: Crime

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions there have been for knife crimes in each London borough in each of the last seven years.

Dominic Raab: The number of defendants proceeded against for knife crime offences by Local Justice Area in London, from 2010 to 2016, can be viewed in the attached table.



Defendants Proceeded Against for Knife Crime 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 33 KB)

Offenders: Repatriation

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign prisoners have been (a) deported and (b) transferred to foreign prisons in 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is absolutely committed to removing Foreign National Offenders from the United Kingdom. 6,343 FNOs were removed in 2016/17 – a record number. Of these, 110 prisoners were transferred to prisons in their own countries in the same period.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign nationals are in prison in the UK; and what steps his Department is taking to send those nationals back to their countries of origin.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As of 30 June 2017, there were 6,792 foreign national offenders serving a custodial sentence in England and Wales. This Government is absolutely committed to removing Foreign National Offenders, and during the financial year 2016 / 2017, 6,343 FNO’s were removed from prisons, immigration removal centres and the community. The barriers to returning FNOs to their countries of nationality are varied and complex which is why the action we take must be tailored to each specific country. I am working closely with ministerial colleagues in DFID, FCO, and Home Office, to ensure that all options are being pursued and that our early removal mechanisms are working as effectively as possible.

Children: Secure Accommodation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court orders for children to be held securely have been made in each year since 2010.

Dominic Raab: There are two groups of children who may be held securely, in two jurisdictions. In the family court, a care and supervision order may be made, data in table 4 at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2017In the youth justice estate, the relevant figures are “Total immediate custody” from Table 5.3 of the annual statistics 2015 to 2016: supplementary tables and the “Total custodial remands” from Table 6.1 of the same supplementary tables at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/youth-justice-statistics-2015-to-2016

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of reimbursing people who have paid employment tribunal fees.

Dominic Raab: Fees in Employment Tribunals raised around £32m after their introduction in 2013. We are now putting in place arrangements to refund those who have paid the fees, which we will be announcing shortly.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) staff and (b) vacancies there were in each community rehabilitation company in each quarter since those companies were established.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Ownership of Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) transferred to new providers in 2015. Contracts with CRCs require each CRC to ensure that it employs a sufficient level of staff, and that its workforce is competent and adequately trained. We no longer routinely collect and publish CRC workforce numbers.We closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

Family Courts: Perjury

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases brought before the family courts have been found to be based on false allegations in each of the last 10 years.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is not held centrally.

G4S: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place the documents relating to the contract signed in 2017 between the Government and G4S for the electronic tagging of offenders in the Library.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A redacted version of the new contract between the Ministry of Justice and G4S for electronic monitoring hardware equipment will be published on Contracts Finder in line with current transparency regulations. We are currently planning to sign the contract by the end of October 2017. I will write to the Honourable gentleman when the contract has been published.The field monitoring services including fitting and removal of tags and the monitoring provision is provided by Capita Business Services Limited.

Crown Courts: Legal Representation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have chosen to represent themselves in Crown Court since the implementation of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Dominic Raab: Maintaining access to justice remains absolutely vital and continues to be at the heart of our reforms. Our legal aid reforms are reducing costs to taxpayers whilst still providing legal help to those who need it most. Details of the number of defendants with no advocate or unknown representation can be found in table AC11 of the annual Criminal Courts Statistics Quarterly publication (main tables) at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2017

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of offenders who re-offended or breached their licence and who were liable to be recalled were not recalled in each of the last three years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We do not hold the information requested centrally and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Families

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the report by Lord Farmer, The importance of strengthening prisoners' family ties to prevent reoffending and reduce intergenerational crime, published in August 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Families can play a significant role in supporting an offender; positive family relationships have been identified as a protective factor in the desistance from crime. The Government welcomes the recommendations identified by Lord Farmer to strengthen family ties to help offenders turn their lives around and protect public safety.Work has already commenced on developing a strategy which will take forward recommendations from the review. We are already taking forward some key recommendations, including giving governors the budget and flexibility to spend their resources appropriately to help prisoners keep important family ties.Alongside this, we plan to pilot new family and significant relationship performance measures which will provide crucial guidance to deliver more consistent services in areas such as visitations across the entire prisons estate.We will continue to hold regular meetings with Lord Farmer to update him on implementation of his recommendations.The Government will ensure that Parliament is fully appraised of progress on implementation and will set out its proposals for doing so in a letter to the Chair of the Justice Select Committee in due course.

Cabinet Office

Government Communication Service: Tunisia

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many trips staff from the Government Communication Service have made to Tunisia since the inception of that body; and what the costs were of each such trip.

Chris Skidmore: Since its inception in September 2015, the GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has made 47 trips to Tunisia on official business. The average cost per trip has been £1,947.

Government Communication Service: Jordan

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many trips staff from the Government Communication Service have made to Jordan since the inception of that body; and what the costs were of each such trip.

Chris Skidmore: Since its inception in September 2015, the GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has made 11 trips to Jordan on official business. The average cost per trip has been £2,259.

Government Communication Service: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a fee is charged by the Government for staff seconded to foreign Governments from the Government Communication Service.

Chris Skidmore: Since its inception in September 2015, the GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has not seconded any staff members to foreign Governments and as such, no fees have been charged.

Government Departments: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many secondments have been organised from the Government Communication Service to positions in which foreign Governments since the inception of that body.

Chris Skidmore: Since its inception in September 2015, the GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has not seconded any staff members to foreign Governments and as such, no fees have been charged.

Electoral Register

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the scale and administrative impact of duplicate registration applications for Electoral Registration Offices prior to future polls; what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of establishing an online facility for electors to check whether they are already registered; and if the Government will review the calculation of returning officers' fees and charges to account for the significant administrative and financial impact of processing applications to register to vote in the run-up to an election from duplicate applications from people already registered to vote.

Chris Skidmore: The Government recognises the burden placed on Electoral Registration Officers as a result of receiving duplicate applications to register. This is an issue we are looking at in depth, in collaboration with administrators and their representatives, to identify potential solutions. The same system that generates duplicate applications has also led to increases in the size of the register and to register accuracy. The fact that millions of people have engaged in our democracy by using the website should be viewed as a success. The Government will continue to put citizen needs at the heart of democratic processes such as registration.The Government already provides funding for registration, including specific funding to cover certain costs resulting from Individual Electoral Registration.

Voting Rights: EU Nationals

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect on the automatic right of EU citizens resident in the UK to vote at elections to local authorities, devolved legislatures and the European Parliament of the UK leaving the EU.

Chris Skidmore: The matter of voting rights of EU citizens in the UK is currently part of the wider negotiation with the EU.

Electoral Register

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when plans to publish analysis of the voter registration initiative trialled at Sheffield University; what criteria will be used to determine the success of that initiative; and what the reason is for the time taken to publish that evaluation.

Chris Skidmore: The Government will publish its findings as part of its Democratic Engagement Strategy later this year.

Electoral Register

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure electoral registration is joined-up with other public services.

Chris Skidmore: The current system of electoral registration benefits greatly from complex data-matching using Government-held data that verifies the identity of applicants to register. We keep opportunities to exploit data sources to improve registration processes under review. User feedback from the register to vote website shows the system is widely used and highly valued. As part of voter registration drives ahead of major elections we provide additional links to the register to vote website on other online Government services. At the same time, all Government Departments use their communications channels to promote electoral registration.

Educational Institutions: Electoral Registration Officers

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that university governing bodies in England cooperate with electoral registration officers in local councils as required under section 13 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017; and whether he plans to extend that statutory duty to (a) secondary schools and (b) further education institutions.

Chris Skidmore: The Office for Students (OfS) will decide whether to make student electoral registration a condition of Higher Education providers’ registration with them. The Government will issue guidance to the OfS relating to this condition and will make suggestions regarding the content of guidance to Higher Education providers, such as the steps providers should take to comply with the condition. These arrangements will be subject to a DfE-led consultation in the autumn. It is already the case that organisations (including secondary schools and further education institutions) are required to co-operate with requests for information from Electoral Registration Officers.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total value of investment is by the (a) Parliamentary Contributory Pensions Fund and (b) Civil Service Pension Scheme in funds linked to freehold ground rents.

Caroline Nokes: Investment decisions within the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF) are a matter for the Trustees who receive professional advice regarding decisions on the management of scheme assets. Information on the PCPF’s investments is not therefore held centrally. However, details of the scheme’s investments are set out each year in a published Annual Review.The Civil Service Pension Scheme is unfunded and as such does not make investments.

Public Sector: Ethnic Groups

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government's race audit findings will be published.

Damian Green: I refer the Hon. member to my answer given on 7th September 2017 to PQ7523.

Joint Ministerial Committee

David Linden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his oral contribution of 5 September 2016, Official Report, column 65, when the Joint Ministerial Committee will next meet.

Damian Green: It is my intention to reconvene the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) in the autumn and we are working with the devolved administrations to secure a date in October. The UK Government is committed to consultation with the devolved administrations, both within the formal structures of the Joint Ministerial Committee and also through bilateral discussions.

Joint Ministerial Committee

David Linden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his oral contribution of 5 September 2016, Official Report, column 65, what mechanisms are being considered as an alternative to the Joint Ministerial Committee; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green: It is my intention to reconvene the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) in the autumn and we are working with the devolved administrations to secure a date in October. The UK Government is committed to consultation with the devolved administrations, both within the formal structures of the Joint Ministerial Committee and also through bilateral discussions.